Detailed Review of the 7-Day Itinerary to Phoenix Ancient Town and Truong Gia Gioi

About 19 million VND for 2 people over 7 days in Phoenix Ancient Town and Truong Gia Gioi, young travel enthusiasts Duy Anh and Chi Kim truly had an unforgettable time.

Detailed Review of the 7-Day Itinerary to Phoenix Ancient Town and Truong Gia Gioi

Our trip to Truong Gia Gioi – Phoenix Ancient Town in early March was not during the peak season (peak season falls between May and November), yet looking back at the entire journey, it was indeed a wise decision. The weather during our trip was a bit unusual, with an average temperature of about 10 degrees, sometimes drizzly, sometimes chilly at 7-8 degrees, sometimes sunny, sometimes foggy, a bit uncomfortable but considered experiencing all four seasons here. Apart from that, everything was fantastic. Ticketing spots weren't crowded; tourist spots weren't overloaded, so sightseeing was more enjoyable, there were plenty of photo opportunities without disturbances; the misty atmosphere added depth to the photos, and the locals were friendly and enthusiastic...

Detailed Itinerary

 * Day 1: Hanoi – Nam Ninh

– At 9:18 PM: The train departed although the ticket stated 9:20 PM, so it's advisable to arrive a bit early. Upon boarding, passengers must present their tickets to the attendant to exchange for boarding passes. All compartments on this train are soft-sleeper, equipped with reading lights and power sockets. Shortly after, a Chinese attendant came to speak in Chinese for about a minute, simply to check passports.

 * Day 2: Nam Ninh – Truong Gia Gioi

– 1:00 AM: Arrived at Dong Dang station, where the attendant woke everyone up with 'Khuay tran loi' (Arrival announcement). Passengers then disembarked to complete the immigration procedures before reboarding to await the 2:45 AM departure.

– 3:30 AM: Arrived at Bang Tuong station, passengers again disembarked for immigration procedures. Vietnamese travelers need to fill out a yellow ARRIVAL form. Once Chinese customs clearance is completed, passengers can rest on the train until 10 AM the next morning.

– 10:30 AM China time (GMT+8): Arrived at Nam Ninh station, then collected pre-booked tickets for Nam Ninh – Truong Gia Gioi and purchased return tickets for Hoai Hoa – Nam Ninh and Nam Ninh – Hanoi. Note: Only the Nam Ninh – Hanoi through tickets can be bought at Nam Ninh station, while domestic tickets can be purchased at any train station in China.

– 11:00 AM: Purchased a Chinese SIM card and searched for a hotel. Across the train station exit (slightly to the left), there are some shops selling SIM cards. Ask them for 'Tien khoa khả' or show them '电话卡' and they'll understand. Only SIM cards priced above 100 yuan offer 3G. Not all hotels here accommodate foreigners. The hotel we stayed at was about 200 meters from the station. The room rate until 4 PM was 100 yuan, but a deposit of 100 yuan was required, making it 200 yuan in total (to be refunded upon checkout).

– 12:00 PM: Had lunch at a restaurant near the hotel, where the snail and duck feet vermicelli soup was delicious and priced at 9 yuan.

– 4:00 PM: Checked out of the hotel and headed to the station. Bought steamed buns and snacks from the station convenience store. The meat-filled steamed buns were tasty and cost 8 yuan for six pieces.

– 4:50 PM: Departed for Truong Gia Gioi. I bought a hard berth ticket for this leg, which turned out to be a mistake. The hard berth cabins have three tiers, with the upper two tiers quite low, making it uncomfortable to sit straight. Luckily, I managed to get a lower berth ticket, which allowed for more comfortable seating and dining. Another awful thing about the hard berth cabins is that they lack doors, so passengers inside and outside can see each other clearly, and the bedding is dirty. The cabin is crowded, emitting various unpleasant odors.

– Snacks and fruits are available onboard. Three packs of fruits cost 10 yuan. Instant noodles are priced at 6 yuan per box (hot water is provided at the end of each car).

 * Day 3: Truong Gia Gioi

– 8:30 AM: Arrived at Truong Gia Gioi station.

– 12:00 PM: Taxi to the city center costs around 7.5 yuan per person. The center is bustling with many eateries and a shopping area resembling Zone 9. We took a chance at a seemingly upscale restaurant on the second floor of a building, thinking that the classy ambiance would guarantee quality food, but it wasn't tasty. For those who prefer not to take risks, there are KFC and McDonald's options available.

The city center isn't very large but offers plenty of spots for Instagram-worthy photos. Alongside the bridge, there are a few clothing shops, snack stalls, and a small Gongcha stand on wheels. There's also a Miniso store with a more extensive collection compared to Miniso in Vietnam.

 Day 4: Tianmen Mountain – Phoenix Ancient Town

Note: Dress warmly, wear thermal patches, hats, and non-slip shoes. Some days, fog from above obscures the scenery below, like the day we went, but it added a mysterious charm to the landscape.

– 8:30 AM: We headed to the cable car station to ascend Tianmen Mountain. There's a transfer station (Lower station), so don't rush to get off there; there's also a final station. Upon reaching the final station (Upper station), despite dressing warmly and using thermal patches, we almost turned back due to the unbearable cold. They sell raincoats up there, and unable to withstand the chill, we each bought one (8 yuan each).

There are 3 routes to explore Tianmen Mountain: West line, Middle line, and East line. We chose the West line because it's shorter. Along the way, you'll encounter the legendary glass bridge. You need to pay an additional 5 yuan per person to walk on the bridge, or there's another path to take.

Further along, you'll come across the Forest of Wish, where you can buy a red piece of cloth for 5 yuan, write your wish on it, tie it to a tree, and continue. You'll also encounter Hang Nga playing the zither amidst the misty mountains. There's a wooden rope bridge spanning two peaks, a love bridge, cable cars for sightseeing, and a stunning temple at the end of the West line. At this endpoint, if you didn't bring food from home, there's a restaurant called Cherry selling delicious minced meat noodles, buns, dumplings, skewers, and more.

– 1:30 PM: After eating, we followed the West line signposts back to the cable car station. Those with time can take the East line down.

– 2:00 PM: Arrived at the cable car station (Upper station), walked about 20 minutes down the mountain, then returned to the hotel to pick up our belongings and head to the bus station.

– 3:30 PM: Bus departure from Truong Gia Gioi to Phoenix Ancient Town.

– 7:30 PM: Arrived at the Phoenix Ancient Town bus station. From here, you can walk to the ancient town (1-2km).

At 8:00 PM: Back to the hotel, we were warmly greeted by the staff who recommended a famous fish hotpot restaurant in the ancient town. After dinner, we strolled the streets and ended the first day in Phuong Hoang Co Trang at a cozy live music café.

Day 5: Phuong Hoang Co Trang

I don't know which words to use to describe the beauty of Phuong Hoang Co Trang anymore. Just raising my camera to capture the scenes left everyone in awe, marveling at its picturesque beauty. Walking along both banks of the Da River made me feel like I was in a historical movie set, and this ancient town turned out to be much larger than I imagined. It wasn't until 5:00 PM that we decided to pause at a café to admire the sunset over Phuong Hoang Co Trang.

In the evening, we had stir-fried smoked pork rice near the hostel (this dish is available in many places) before buying gifts for everyone. Then, we had grilled skewers and ended the night with some beers at a pub playing ballad music.

Day 6: Phuong Hoang Co Trang – Hoai Hoa – Nam Ninh

In the early morning, we mainly took photos and discovered that our hostel had a beautiful rooftop view. After taking photos, we checked out of the hostel, left our luggage, and had a satisfying final meal. We enjoyed a mixed hotpot, including smoked pork, fish fillet, sausage, and various delicious vegetables. After the meal, we went for some Gongcha.

At 2:30 PM: Back to the hostel to pick up our luggage, we hailed a taxi to Phuong Hoang Co Trang Station. The staff even showed us the main road to catch a cab. The ride from there to the station cost 10 yuan. Buy tickets for Hoai Hoa (pronounced Khoai Khoa) departing at 3:00 PM. The last trip is at 4:30 PM.

At 4:00 PM: Arrive at Hoai Hoa bus station. Before leaving, I forgot to check the route from the station to the station, so I had to ask locals while walking. Remember to check the route before starting your journey.

At 9:16 PM: The train departs from Hoai Hoa to Nam Ninh. There's instant noodles and hot water available on the train, so you don't need to worry too much about food and drink.

Day 7: Nam Ninh – Hanoi

At 9:00 AM: Arrive at Nam Ninh station. We rented the hotel we stayed at the night before because the next train runs late. Near that hotel, there's a place selling delicious and cheap buns, remember to buy 10 for each person to bring on the train for dinner as this train doesn't sell food.

At 6:05 PM: The train departs for Hanoi.

Expense Review

Total expenses for 2 people: 19 million Vietnamese dong

 Visa: 67 USD/person, 134 USD/2 people = 3 million Vietnamese dong

Contact Mr. Tuan: 093 6686 086 for quick and efficient visa processing.

Note:

- I checked prices from a few other places, but they were all 75 USD or more, some even charged extra for those who have never applied for a Chinese visa before. Where I got mine done charges a flat rate of 67 USD for a Chinese tourist visa. The procedure is simple, just need your passport, 2 white-background photos without hats, glasses must be removed, and a photocopy of your ID card without notarization.

– It's advisable to apply on Mondays because the visa process usually takes about 4 days, so you'll likely get it by Friday.

– Chinese visas expire 3 months from the date of issue.

– Apply for the visa at least 2 weeks before your trip.

 Train and Bus

– Hanoi – Nam Ninh Train: 810,000 VND/person x 2 = 1,620,000 VND, purchase at 86 Le Duan. Remember to bring your passport with the Chinese visa; you'll get the ticket within 20-30 minutes or you can pick it up the next day.

– Nam Ninh – Truong Gia Gioi Train: 200 RMB/person = 400 RMB, book tickets online at the website: https://www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains, select From Nanning, To Zhangjiajie, and pay via Paypal. After payment, the ticket office will email requesting passport photos + forward the Paypal invoice; make sure to follow these instructions for a straightforward process.

– Truong Gia Gioi – Phuong Hoang Co Tran Bus: 80 RMB/person x 2 = 160 RMB (you can ask the hotel owner to buy it for you).

– Taxi from Phuong Hoang to Phuong Hoang Bus Station: 10 RMB.

– Phuong Hoang Bus Station – Hoai Hoa Bus: 40 RMB/person x 2 = 80 RMB, buy directly at the bus station.

– Hoai Hoa – Nam Ninh Train: 263 RMB/person x 2 = 526 RMB (available at all train stations in China), bought at Nam Ninh station upon arrival.

– Nam Ninh – Hanoi Train: 215 RMB/person x 2 = 430 RMB, note that you can only purchase this at Nam Ninh station.

* Tips for buying train tickets in China: Before traveling to China, write down on paper or in your phone the departure and arrival station names, departure dates to show the ticket counter staff; they'll understand and issue tickets for you.

Example: 怀化 － 南宁 2017年03月16日, means Hoài Hoá – Nam Ninh on March 16th, 2017.

* Some train station names in Chinese:

Gia Lam: 家林 (Jiālín), pronounced as Jia Lin

Hanoi：河内 (Hénèi), pronounced as Heh-nay

Nam Ninh：南宁 (Nánníng), pronounced as Nan Ning

Truong Gia Gioi：张家界 (Zhāngjiājiè), pronounced as Zhang Jia Jie

Phượng Hoàng ancient town：凤凰古城 (Fènghuáng gǔchéng), pronounced as Fung-hwahng Goo-cheng

Hoài Hoá：怀化 (Huáihuà), pronounced as Hwai-hwah

Cát Thủ：吉首 (Jíshǒu), pronounced as Jee-show

Total transportation cost: 2,099 CNY = 6.9 million VND (about 3.5 million VND per person)

Accommodation

– Truong Gia Gioi: 120 CNY per night. Contact Mr. Thang via WeChat one week before arriving in China at +86 137 6218 6070, English is available.

– Phoenix Ancient Town: 258 CNY for 2 nights. Phone number: +86 185 7433 9740 (Mr. Chin)

– Nam Ninh: 200 CNY for 2 days

Total hotel expenses: 578 CNY = 1.9 million VND for 2 people

 Food, entertainment, shopping

– Tianmen Mountain cable car: 420 CNY

– Dining, shopping: 1,800 CNY

 Total leisure expenses: 2,220 CNY (7.3 million VND)

 Essential phone apps to download

 – Speech and Translate (Extremely necessary for those who don't know Chinese. Speak in Vietnamese into the mic, and the app will translate and speak in Chinese).

– AccuWeather (Weather forecast).

– Betternet (Software to help you access Facebook in China).

– Wechat (almost every Chinese person uses this app to communicate with each other, as Viber, Zalo, Facebook, and even Google are all blocked).

– Pleco (Chinese – English dictionary, some translations may not be accurate).

By Duy Anh

Discounted Data Roaming packages in South Korea and China:

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Reference: Travel guide Mytour