Airfare has indeed been expensive lately. Just recently, I went to Thailand and Hong Kong, and round-trip tickets cost me nearly 10,000 yuan.
There’s no way around it; the number of flights is too low, and too many people want to travel, so ticket prices naturally skyrocket.
I think this high airfare situation will last a while. Once there are more flights, prices will gradually come down. But it’s unlikely to improve by March 31.
Luckily, our country’s vast expanse means we don’t necessarily have to fly abroad—we can exit through land borders. This way, you can save on airfare, significantly enhancing the cost-effectiveness of your trip.
Going to Vietnam
To go to Vietnam, you can generally enter and exit through the Hekou Friendship Pass or the Dongxing Border Gate.
More than ten years ago, when I first went to Vietnam, I flew directly from Hangzhou to Saigon, then traveled north to the Friendship Pass in Guangxi to re-enter China. It was quite a smooth journey.
Currently, the Friendship Pass has reopened for travel.
There are buses from Nanning Jiangnan Bus Station to the Friendship Pass, taking about 3.5 hours and costing 110 yuan. You can also take a train from Nanning to Pingxiang, available twice a day, which takes over 4 hours and costs a cheaper 29.5 yuan.
There are also buses from the Friendship Pass to Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam, which takes about 3 hours.
Once you get to Hanoi, there are basically two routes.
For short trips, you can do Hanoi + Halong Bay; for longer trips, you can start in Hanoi and travel all the way to Saigon (Hanoi – Hue – Da Nang – Hoi An – Nha Trang – Dalat – Mui Ne – Saigon).
Vietnam is extremely inexpensive, making the trip quite enjoyable. And the further south you go past Da Nang, the more beautiful Vietnam becomes, with many classic tourist spots.
Flights from Hangzhou to Nanning generally cost between 200-300 yuan year-round. However, current direct flights from Hangzhou to Saigon or Hanoi are usually 3,000+ yuan, with transfers also around 2,000+ yuan, showing a significant price difference.
Another way to Vietnam is through the Dongxing Border Gate in Fangchenggang, Guangxi, which is quite close to Beihai.
The Dongxing Border Gate leads directly to Mong Cai in Vietnam, which is quite close to Halong Bay. Halong Bay, known as the Guilin of the sea, is a typical limestone karst bay. I’ve taken a boat there before.
A reminder: you need to obtain a visa for Vietnam in advance. If you want a visa on arrival, you should also prepare a pre-approval letter (easily available on Taobao).
Going to Laos
Going to Laos is even more convenient because the Mohan Border Gate is connected by high-speed rail, and Laos offers visas on arrival. There is a China-Laos Kunming-Vientiane Railway line, directly linking Kunming and Vientiane.
Traveling from Kunming, you can reach Mohan by high-speed train in just over four hours. After crossing the border, you can continue by train on the Laotian side to get to Luang Prabang and Vientiane. The journey to Luang Prabang is quite quick, taking just over two hours.
Laos offers visa-on-arrival, which costs $20 or 200 RMB, making it very convenient.
Flight tickets from Hangzhou to Kunming are consistently priced between 200 to 300 RMB throughout the year. The high-speed train ticket from Kunming to Mohan is also about 200 RMB. Adding the visa-on-arrival fee and train tickets within Laos, this option is much more economical than flying directly.
I checked the airfare for the Lunar New Year period; a flight from Hangzhou to Kunming is about 500 RMB. If you haven’t decided where to go for the holidays, how about a trip to Luang Prabang?
I absolutely love Luang Prabang. It’s highly likely to be my first international destination after the New Year, traveling by train.
In Luang Prabang, there’s an Amantaka Hotel, nestled among the 32 gold-topped temples. It only reopened in October last year.
By saving on airfare, you can splurge on your stay there.
Every morning in Luang Prabang, there’s an alms-giving ceremony right at the doorstep of Amantaka.
Once in Luang Prabang, it’s also very convenient to travel to Chiang Mai and Chiang Rai in Thailand. Thailand also offers a visa-on-arrival, allowing you to use Luang Prabang as a springboard to further explore Southeast Asia.
Travel to Myanmar
The Ruili border crossing resumed operations on January 8th, but currently, it’s only open for cargo. Tourists will have to wait a bit longer. This is the largest overland border crossing to Myanmar.
It’s important to note that while you can apply for a visa-on-arrival at Yangon, Mandalay, and Naypyidaw international airports, for the Ruili crossing, it’s safer to secure a sticker visa or an e-visa in advance.
Additionally, the northern part of Myanmar is relatively unstable politically, so it’s not recommended for travelers to spend too much time there.
The main attractions in Myanmar include Mandalay, Yangon, Bagan, and Inle Lake. Transportation between these places can be quite complicated. Nevertheless, Myanmar is worth visiting.
Travel to Nepal
The Gyirong border crossing from Tibet to Nepal has also reopened.
Getting to the Gyirong border is quite a hassle. You can take a chartered car from Lhasa, which takes over 10 hours, or you can travel from Shigatse (which is also quite exhausting).
Nepal offers free visa-on-arrival for stays ranging from 15 to 90 days, so visas are not an issue.
If you don’t plan to travel leisurely through the region, I suggest waiting until flights to Nepal resume.
Additionally, if you are based in the Pearl River Delta, you are undoubtedly in a favorable position.
At present, flight tickets from Hong Kong to foreign countries are significantly cheaper than those from mainland China. Moreover, traveling to and from Hong Kong allows for a visa-free stay of 7 days each way.
Currently, there are also cruise ships in Hong Kong. A few days ago, while I was in Hong Kong, I happened to see the Silver Spirit cruise ship docking, and to my surprise, it was the maiden voyage of the Silver Spirit in Hong Kong. I really want to take a cruise!
I checked the itinerary and prices on Silversea’s official website. The Silver Spirit has a round-trip itinerary from Hong Kong to Vietnam and the Philippines, with an all-inclusive package priced at $5750.
The trip includes stops at Ha Long Bay and Da Nang in Vietnam; and Coron and Manila in the Philippines. The visa policies for cruises are relatively lenient, so Vietnam and the Philippines should both offer visa exemptions.
While $5750 may seem expensive, it’s Silversea after all. Given the currently exorbitant flight ticket prices, it might be more worthwhile to take a luxurious Silversea cruise.
