[Nam Ninh – Hanoi train at Gia Lam Station.]
The Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway is a railway line from Hanoi to Dong Dang, on the China-Vietnam border in Lang Son Province. The lines crosses the border to Pingxiang on the Chinese side for services to Nanning and Beijing.
The railway length is 162 km, and it’s a single-track dual-gauge railway. The metre-gauge is for Vietnam Railways, while the standard-gauge line is used by trains from China on the Hunan–Guangxi Railway.
[Dual-gauge railway in Bac Ninh.]
Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway is currently not used for domestic travel, so there is no chance to use the line for travels in the north.
The line is the Vietnam section of the Hanoi-Nanning train service. A train operated by China Railways runs an overnight service from Nanning to Hanoi. This service was restored in May 2025 after being cancelled during the pandemic. From Nanning, you can connect to other services in China.
[Gia Lam Station in Hanoi.]
There is also a direct Hanoi-Beijing service that operates twice a week.
Hanoi–Dong Dang train tickets
The only train services that are available on the Hanoi–Dong Dang line are the train services to China.
Trains from Hanoi depart from Gia Lam Railway Station. China services are to Nanning Railway Station (Xixiangtang, Nanning) and Beijing West Station.
Hanoi–Nanning tickets
Train: MR1/T8702
Departure: 21:20
Arrival: 10:06
Travel Time: 11h 46m
Buy tickets for Hanoi-Nanning trains
Nanning-Hanoi tickets
Train: T8701/MR2
Departure: 18:05
Arrival: 05:30
Travel Time: 12h 25m
Buy tickets for Nanning-Hanoi trains
Hanoi–Beijing tickets
Train: MR1/T8702/Z6
Departure: 21:20
Arrival: 09:59 (+1 day)
Travel Time: 35h 39m
Buy tickets for Hanoi-Beijing trains
Beijing-Hanoi tickets
Train: Z5/T8701/MR2
Departure: 16:05
Arrival: 05:30 (+1 day)
Travel Time: 38h 25m
Buy tickets for Beijing-Hanoi trains
Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway map
[Map of Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway.]
Future plans for the Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway
Vietnam is planning to modernise the railways across the country, including the Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway. The Hanoi-Lao Cai Railway will begin reconstruction at the end of 2025, which will enable standard-gauge electric trains from China to travel in Vietnam. The same is planned for the Hanoi–Dong Dang line, though a date has not been set for this construction.
A modernised Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway will mean that passenger services can operate to provinces to the north of Hanoi. This would also open the possibility of commuter trains between Hanoi and Bac Ninh.
Hanoi–Dong Dang Railway links and resources
Wikipedia: Hanoi–Đồng Đăng railway.
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