Hong Kong – Hanoi by Train via Nanning, Guangzhou & Shenzhen

Hong Kong – Hanoi by High Speed Train

There are no direct high speed trains linking Hong Kong with Hanoi of Vietnam yet, and you will have to make a transfer at Nanning, Guangzhou or Shenzhen.This page explains you how to travel between Hong Kong and Hanoi overland using bullet train plus the international sleeper train. Note: Hong Kong’s high speed train station West Kowloon Station will put into use in 3rd quarter of 2018 and you can travel by direct high speed trains between Nanning, Guangzhou, Shenzhen & Hong Kong by then. Below are the current route solution for you:

Map of Railways

From Hong Kong to Hanoi by train:

  • 1. From Hong Kong to Shenzhen’s Futian Station or North Station by HK MTR & Shenzhen Metro
  • 2. From Shenzhen to Nanning by direct high speed train or go via Guangzhou (Shenzhen-Guangzhou-Nanning)
  • 3. From Nanning to Hanoi by night train: Nanning Station to Gia Lam Station

From Hanoi to Hong Kong by train:

  • 1. From Hanoi to Nanning by night train: Gia Lam Station to Nanning Station
  • 2. From Nanning to Shenzhen by direct high speed train or go via Guangzhou (Nanning-Guangzhou-Shenzhen)
  • 3. From Shenzhen’s Futian Staton or North Station to Hong Kong by Shenzhen Metro & HK MTR

Hong Kong – Shenzhen by MTR & Shenzhen Metro

From Hong Kong to Shenzhen: Take Hong Kong’s East Rail Line to the terminal Lok Ma Chau station, where pass the border control and walk to Futian Checkpoint station on Shenzhen’s side, from where take the metro line 4 to Shenzhen North Station (for trains to Guangzhou or Nanning) OR take metro line 4 and line 2 to Futian (Futian Railway Staton for trains to Guangzhou South).

Useful tool: Shenzhen metro network map & Hong Kong MTR journey planner

From Shenzhen to Hong Kong: This route is much the same as explained above. Just take metro from Shenzhen North Train Station or Futian Train Station to Futian Checkpoint station, then pass the border control and walk to the Lok Ma Chau station to take the MTR East Rail Line to reach Hong Kong’s downtown.

Nanning – Shenzhen by Train

You have two optioins to travel between Nanning and Shenzhen: The first option is to travel via Guangzhou (Nanning-Guangzhou-Shenzhen)by train, and the second option is to travel by direct high speed train.

Option 1: Nanning – Guangzhou – Shenzhen by High Speed Train, Over 50 Trains Daily

Since the direct trains between Nanning and Shenzhen are limited,a better way is to make a connection at Guangzhou (Nanning-Guangzhou-Shenzhen), which provides more train options.

From Nanning to Shenzhen via Guangzhou: Take a high speed train either at Nanning Station or Nanning East to Guangzhou South first. When your train arrives at Guangzhou South, get off the train and look for the sign “transfer” which directs you go upstairs to the waiting room level, where to catch your connecting bullet trains to either Shenzhen North Station or Futian Railway Station in Shenzhen. Remember to allow plenty of connection time at Guangzhou South (See how to make connection at Guangzhou South) .

From Shenzhen to Nanning via Guangzhou: First take one of the many high speed trains from Futian Station or Shenzhen North to Guangzhou South first, then catch your connecting bullet trains from Guangzhou South to Nanning East Station or Nanning Railway Station. See the schedule, frequency, travel time below:

For a live schedule & planning routes, please use http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
Nanning to Guangzhou to Shenzhen high speed trains
Train Type From – To Frequency Operation Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
1st Cls 2nd Cls Biz Cls
G,D trains Nanning East to Guangzhou South 37 Departures 07:08-19:09 3.5-4.5h 202.5 169
G,D trains Nanning Station to Guangzhou South 20 Departures 07:00-19:17 4-4.5h 172 206.5
Connection time at Guangzhou South: 30-50 mins at least
G trains Guangzhou South to Shenzhen North 101 Departures 07:00-22:25 30-45mins 99.5 74.5 199.5
G trains Guangzhou South to Shenzhen Futian Station 12 Departures 10:44-23:08 40-45mins 108 82 130
For a live schedule & planning routes, please use http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/
Shenzhen to Guangzhou to Nanning high speed trains
Train Type From – To Frequency Operation Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
1st Cls 2nd Cls Biz Cls
G,D trains Shenzhen North to Guangzhou South 77 Departures 07:00-23:00 30-45mins 99.5 74.5 199.5
G,D trains Shenzhen Futian Station to Guangzhou South 40 Departures 07:00-22:39 40-50mins 108 82 130
Connection time at Guangzhou South: 30-50 mins at least
G,D trains Guangzhou South to Nanning East 40 Departures 07:37-19:46 3.5-4.5h 202.5 169
G,D trains Guangzhou South to Nanning Station 16 Departures 07:00-14:35 4-4.5h 172 206.5

Option 2: Nanning – Shenzhen by Direct High Speed Train, 4 Daily

There are 4 daily direct high speed trains running from Nanning to Shenzhen or 3 running from Shenzhen to Nanning, all of which are G type bullet trains and stop at Nanning East Railway Station and Shenzhen North Railway Station, taking 4-4.5 hours to cover the rail journey of about 700 kilometers. The ticket fare starts CNY243.5 for a 2nd class seat, CNY 302 for a 1st class seat and CNY 706 for a business class seat. Since the direct bullet trains between Nanning and Shenzhen are limited, you can also split your journey by making a connection at Guangzhou South, which has lots of trains to or from Nanning and Shenzhen.

Nanning East Train Station is one of the three main train stations in Nanning (the other two being Nanning Railway Station and Nanning West Railway Station), about 15.6km from Nanning Railway Station, from where you can travel by night trains to Hanoi (Gia Lam Station) in Vietnam. The metro line 1 links Nanning East Station wtih Nanning Railway Station in 35 minutes for CNY4.

You can reach Nanning East by metro line 1 or public bus B17, 28, B37, B82, B83, 94, B11, 29, 56, 105, 106, 209, K6, etc.

Shenzhen North Railway Station can be reached Line 4 (Longhua line), Line 5 (Huanzhong line), Line 6 (not open yet). ?

Nanning – Shenzhen high speed trains (3-4 daily)
Train Type From – To Frequency Departures Duration Ticket Fares (CNY)
1st Cls 2nd Cls Biz Cls
G trains Nanning East to Shenzhen North 4 Departures 08:02,11:38,17:59 4-4.5h 302 243.5 706
G trains Shenzhen North to Nanning East 3 Departures 07:05,12:22,16:20 4-4.5h 302 243.5 706
For a live schedule & planning routes, please use http://www.chinahighlights.com/china-trains/

Hanoi – Nanning by Night Train

There is one daily night train running between Nanning Railway Station and Gia Lam Station in Hanoi. For more detains, just refer to the Hanoi to Nanning train page.

Trusted Online Ticket Agents:

Option 1: China Highlights is a reliable online agency  for China train ticketing. They get positive reviews on TripAdvisor & Trustpilot. Sharon and her team help you buy tickets & plan rail routes even deliver tickets to your hotels with a service fee.

Option 2: Trip.com  is an internatioal brand owned by Ctrip Group, China's largest online travel booking platform. Trip.com offers booking service for flight, train, hotel, activities, etc

2 Replies to “Hong Kong – Hanoi by Train via Nanning, Guangzhou & Shenzhen”

    • Hi,
      There are about 58 daily D or G class high speed trains from Guangzhou South Station to Nanning, with 15 of which arriving at Nanning Railway Station and 43 arriving at Nanning East Station. You can arrive at Nanning Railway Station as the intl train from Nanning to Hanoi departs at this station. If you arrive at Nanning East, you can take the metro from Nannning East to Nanning Station to catch your next train to Hanoi.

Leave a Reply