According to Dieu Linh, the first major expense in the trip was visa procedures. She chose to use a visa service with a cost of about 2.4 million VND, with a processing time of 8 days.
To optimize the travel budget, Dieu Linh chose the option of taking a bus to Nanning (China) departing from Hanoi or Bac Giang with a ticket price of about 700,000 VND. The total travel time, including the entry and exit procedures at the border gate, lasts about 7 to 8 hours.
For the return flight, the female tourist chose the Beijing - Hanoi route with a ticket price of about 3.4 million VND. The flight has about 22 hours of transit in Shanghai, creating conditions for her to combine visiting this city for a short time without incurring additional airfare costs for the main route.
Regarding accommodation, she prioritizes booking hostel or dorm rooms through the two platforms Agoda and Trip. com. This helps maintain room costs ranging from 100,000 VND to 300,000 VND/night depending on the city.
Regarding daily eating needs, Dieu Linh said that local popular eateries with an average price of 10 to 15 yuan/meal (about 35,000 to 55,000 VND) are a reasonable choice, both cost-saving and meeting basic living needs.
Prepare payment tools and support applications
According to Dieu Linh's experience, because the service infrastructure system in China operates mainly through digital platforms, completing the installation of mobile applications before departure is a mandatory requirement for self-sufficient tourists.
In which, the Alipay application plays the role of the main payment method for most shopping transactions, while integrating the utility of taking the subway, bus, renting public bicycles and buying tickets to tourist attractions.
Regarding finding directions, she assessed the Amap application (Gaode Map) as providing the most accurate directional data in the country. In addition, the WeChat application is used as a direct communication channel with accommodation establishments.
To travel between cities by train and high-speed train, Dieu Linh recommends using app 12306 - the official ticket booking channel in China. Linking account 12306 with Alipay helps the refund process take place faster if there is a need to cancel tickets.
The Trip. com platform is used flexibly by her to book hotel rooms, buy eSIM mobile data and air tickets. Tourists can also book high-speed train tickets through this platform, but the service fee will be higher than booking directly on the 12306 app.
Detailed schedule of 11 days through 5 cities
Day 1 in Nanning: After completing entry procedures by bus, Dieu Linh began her journey with attractions in the central area such as Tam Ngo Nhi street, underground shopping area and Nam Ninh Chi Da nightlife area. The main means of transportation are rented electric vehicles and walking.
Day 2 in Beihai: She traveled from Nanning to Beihai by high-speed train with a ticket price of about 370,000 VND. Here, she rented an electric car to visit Beihai ancient town, Liu Xia village, Ngan Than beach and Qiaogang area. Dieu Linh's actual experience shows that the marine environment here is normal and the living habits of local people rarely wear bikinis when swimming.
From March 3rd to May 5th in Guilin and Yangshuo: High-speed train tickets from Beihai to Guilin cost about 893 thousand VND. The itinerary in Guilin was arranged by her to travel by hired electric car to visit Mount Voi Voi, Nhat Nguyet Tower, Chuanshan Park and Daxu ancient town, combined with spending 1 day in Yangshuo to stroll around the city and admire the scenery.
From June 6 to September 9 in Beijing: The female tourist traveled by air from Guilin to Beijing with a plane ticket worth about 1.9 million VND. During 4 days in the capital, she chose public transport including subway, bus and bicycle to visit Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Great Wall of China, Heavenly Temple, Sanlitun area, Qianmen, Wangfujing street and ancient Hutong alleys.
10th and 11th in Shanghai: Taking advantage of the 22 hours of transit from Beijing to Hanoi, Dieu Linh ended the trip by renting a bicycle to visit the Huangpu River area, Shanghai Bund and Luc Gia Chuy financial area before completing procedures to return home.
China is a destination chosen by many Vietnamese tourists. Depending on financial situation and experience needs, each tourist chooses their own way and self-sufficient travel brings more emotions and experiences, so it is chosen by many young people.
