Travel to China from Vietnam

PS: $1600 excluding visa fees and flights from Vietnam

Hi Musica,

I am Noor, an expat living in China for 7 years.

As you are holding a American passport, getting the visa from local embassy should not be a problem.

You have direct flights operated by China Southern Airlines to Guangzhou.

Alternativly you can flight to Hong Kong and pass the border to Shenzen ( 1:30 mins approx) and then to Guangzhou - 1 hour.

Taking the Hong Kong route is much cheaper and you can get your China visa from Hong kong within a day.

Cheers!
Noor.
noorul.sna1@gmail.com

Hi Musica,

Planning to move to Vietnam, need some advice on Visa and Accomodation.

Cheers!

Let me see. Once you decide if you prefer the four seasons of the north or the humid two of the south, I guess you should come with a tourist visa. Arrive with a job offer if possible, then you will have to get your work permit (your employer will guide you). Accommodation is the easy part, just check the appropriate section in sites such as this one. Finding a room, if that's what you want, is not hard. Easier to decide where you want to live if you know where you are going to work, otherwise most people stay around district one, initially.

Hi Musica,

thanks a lot, I will provide you a agents number in HK may be they can help you get a chinese visa, as the law keeps changing like weather, sometimes you can and sometimes cannot! , alvi travels : +852 23660786.

I would like to live in a expat area with restaurants and night life in HCM, can u suggest me a  good place, I prefer to share a apartment with an expat, as I am new to the place.

Cheers!

Noor

It's going to have to be district one if you want to live near night life. I'm sure other users will be able to be more specific. Any rooms available in q.1 with expats??

I did a trip to Shanghai about a month ago.  To get a Chinese tourist visa go to the Chinese consulate (Near Diamond Plaza), with you bring a copy of your passport, copy of your Vietnamese visa, and two 4x3cm passport photos.  It cost $100 USD for a visa if you are from America, but I heard it is lower for other nationalities. (Only $20 for Vietnamese citizens)

Once there you will fill out a form, leave all your stuff, including your passport, and seven days later go back and your visa will be already inside your passport.

If you are a little adventuresome I would forget the tourism services and do a little homework and explore the country on your own.  I just flew into Shanghai on my own and ended up meeting lots of people (large expat population there) and enjoying every minute of my time.

Also, Vietnam Airlines has promotions to Beijing and Guangzhou.  Check out this link: http://www.vietnamairlines.com.vn/wps/p … ry=vietnam

Enjoy!

Thanks, i was told the visa might take about a week. I dont usually enjoy organized tours but on my first visit there i want to see the wall, forbidden palace and such, so i thought an organized tour would be ok. Actually i found some good deals with saigon tours with vietnamese  tour guides though, so i will look into that when i return to VN next month. Cheers.