China When someone offered to help with procedures at Lao Cai border gate "to speed things up", I refused because the queue time was not too long.
Nguyen Ngoc Lan, 31 years old, living in Hai Duong, recently had a self-guided tour to Dali - Lijiang (Yunnan province) at the end of April with a friend. Below are the Vietnamese tourists' shares on how to apply for a tourist visa, travel, food, accommodation and beautiful photo spots. The total cost of the 4-day trip was about 12 million VND (1 yuan is equal to 3,200 VND).
Visa application procedure (2 million VND)
Lan applied for a tourist visa type L (stay for 15 days). The application includes: passport valid for at least 6 months, at least 2 blank pages, a photocopy of the passport information page, a photocopy of the citizen identification card, visa application form, portrait photo, and confirmation of round-trip air ticket booking. The fee for self-made visa is 2 million VND. If you apply through a service, the fee is more expensive.
Lan cycled around the hotel in Dali.
Lan loves to explore and learn about Eastern culture. In addition, she also has many Chinese friends, understands Chinese well and does not want to be tied to a certain schedule. Therefore, the female tourist decided to travel independently right after learning that China opened its doors to international visitors.
Moving (3 million VND)
From Vietnam to China: Lan took a bus to Lao Cai border gate to sleep overnight. At 6:30 the next morning, she lined up to do the procedures early and made a health declaration via WeChat.
At the border gate, there are many "brokers" who ask visitors to show their passports or travel documents so they can help them queue "faster". Lan advises to refuse because the waiting time to exit Vietnam is "very fast".
"The Chinese side takes longer to check. A lot of food is left behind. They will also ask simple questions like where to go, what to do, how long to go in Chinese," Lan said. According to the female tourist's observation, the Chinese side will ask more questions to people who know the language.
From Hekou to Dali: There are many taxis in the border area. Tell the taxi to take you to Hekou North Station to board the train, the price is 20 yuan. You can buy a SIM card in this area for 100-110 yuan. According to Le Phuong, a tour guide with 7 years of experience guiding Vietnamese tourists to China, tourists can also buy a SIM card in Vietnam, the price is about 300,000 VND.
You should book a train ticket for around 2pm (to Dali) to have plenty of time, not to rush or miss the trip. The train ticket is around 300 yuan. Lan will arrive in Dali around 9pm.
From Dali to Lijiang: Train ticket price is 80 yuan, travel time is nearly two hours. "When arriving at the station, you still have to book a car to the ancient town because it is far away," Lan said.
A local person showed her another way to get to Lijiang. That was to take a bus from Dali straight to Lijiang, costing 70 yuan. The travel time was almost an hour longer, but once she got off the train, she only needed to take a taxi for a short distance, which would save her money.
Food and hotel (about 4 million VND)
In Dali, Lan booked a budget hotel room, a double room for 208 yuan. The room rate in Lijiang is 199 yuan. It is better to book a room in the central area for convenience in traveling and eating. "The rooms here are all clean," she said.
The food in all places is quite similar with main dishes such as: noodles crossing the bridge, rose-filled baked cake, green bean jelly, hot pot and grilled dishes. The food is mostly spicy, if you can't eat spicy food, you should inform the restaurant owner in advance. A hot pot and grilled meal for 3 people costs about one million VND.
The bars in the old town area were "extremely bustling" and all had singers performing. "I walked around Lijiang at 11pm but the old town was still crowded. Mostly Chinese tourists," Lan said.
Sightseeing (about 3 million VND)
Dali is the capital of the Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, covering an area of about 1,500 square kilometers with a population of more than half a million people. This is a city with a long history. From the 7th to the 10th century, Dali was the political, cultural and historical center of Yunnan Province. Places to visit: ancient citadel, Songlang ancient town, three pagodas, Chongsheng Temple, Wuhua Pagoda.
Lijiang is the ancient capital of the Naxi Kingdom, located at an altitude of over 2,400 m in the northwestern Yunnan plateau. This ancient town was once the filming location for the movie Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. Places to visit: Jade Dragon Snow Mountain, Mufu (known as the Forbidden City of Lijiang), and Blue Moon Lake.
Tourists can also visit other famous tourist destinations in Yunnan such as Shangri-la, Kunming or Xishuangbanna Autonomous Prefecture.
Ngoc Lan said that when taking a taxi to the hotel in Dali, the driver will suggest that tourists take a city tour the next day for 268 yuan, which is reduced to 128 yuan. The Vietnamese female tourist recommends that people do not buy the tour because the price is still expensive. The actual price is only about 60-70 yuan.
In addition, the tour organizer told the guests to start visiting the city at 9am, but they didn't leave until 12pm because they had to wait for enough guests. Each stop only lasted about 30-60 minutes, "barely enough time to do anything", Lan said. Therefore, on the second day, she decided to rent a private car to visit, costing 320 yuan, but in return she could travel as long as she wanted.
Lijiang Ancient Town is divided into many areas: food, clothing, specialties, photography - costume rental - makeup. If you visit the ancient town at night, you will see many photographers working. "Within a radius of 1 meter around me, there are many Tibetan, Indian, and Thai princesses posing. They are tourists renting ancient costumes to take pictures," Lan said.
When buying or renting photography equipment, tourists should bargain. Lan also took a souvenir photo set here, priced at 298 yuan, with 9 photos edited and all the original files taken. "When I took the photo, it was already midnight, but the photographer still took the photo very attentively. They said that on busy days, they usually work until 2-3am."
China is no longer applying strict Covid-19 prevention measures. Many people do not wear masks when going out, and tourist attractions do not require them. However, she still wears a mask to protect her health.
Lan "felt very sorry" for not being able to fully explore the beauty of these two destinations because she only had 4 days. She hopes to return to China soon to explore more.
Phuong Anh
Photo: NVCC
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