Pingxiang (Guangxi)
Pingxiang (凭祥; Píngxiáng) is in Central Guangxi, southern China. It is close to the border with Vietnam, with the Vietnamese town of Dong Dang just across the border, and is a transit town for entering or leaving China.
Get in
By train
A morning train departs Nanning at 7:58AM and arrives in Pingxiang at 11:40AM. On the return leg, it leaves Pingxiang at 2:40PM and arrives in Nanning at 6:36PM. ¥30 one way.
Can also take train from Guangzhou to Pingxiang.
Through service from Nanning to Hanoi, Vietnam via Pingxiang is set to start again.
By bus
The new bus station in Nanning has frequent buses to Pingxiang. The trip takes around 3 hours and costs ¥62 including ¥2 insurance.
Overnight bus from Guangzhou to Pingxiang costs ¥200. Bus trip takes about 12 hours, these buses will not have seats, rather they will provide beds for travelers. Do be careful with your articles while sleeping on the bus, quite a few incidents involving travelers losing their valuables while sleeping on the bus.
To/from Vietnam
Many motorized wagons (like a cart pulled by an engine) will take travelers to the border.
From the bus station, the trip should cost ¥20, but hard bargainers may get the price down to ¥15.
From Pingxiang's train station take the bus/taxi/tuk-tuk to the border. Cheapest option was ¥2 while taxi cost ¥10-20. The trip takes around 15min.
Get around
You can take taxi around the city. Or taxi to the border to Vietnam for only ¥30.
With 3-Wheels custom bike (taxi like) you can go anywhere in the city for ¥2.
See
Mother nature creation of the rocky mountains.
Do
- Dance at the old market area. At night, you can visit the old market area where it got converted into the dancing square and dance with the locals. Light and music are provided along with several stages for different levels of dancers. The elders locals generally come out at night to dance as a form of daily exercise. A few blocks from the dancing square, there is the night market where you can pick up some food along the streets. During the day, you can drop by the market area to see what are available for purchase.
Eat
Depending on the time of the year, there are various kind of specialties you can try.
Sleep
- Yinghe Hotel (opposite the railways station). Quite good. During warm weather, there will be plenty of mosquitoes. About ¥160.