From Hanoi to Shanghai

Both Hanoi and Shanghai are major transport hubs and there are plenty of transportation options from the cities themselves, although there is no direct overland route linking them. While this journey can be rather time consuming traveling overland, flying cuts the journey time to just a few hours. The details below reveal some of the smoothest and simplest ways to complete the journey.

Shanghai is located just under 2,000 kilometers from Hanoi, which may seem like an overwhelming distance to cover by land, even though transportation options are reliable. Luckily, it is possible to complete the journey by plane.

The quickest and easiest way to travel between Hanoi and Shanghai is by air, taking just a few hours rather than several days for the overland route. However, travelling by train is rather comfortable and those with sleeper class tickets will find the journey passes rather pleasantly.

The fast/expensive way – by Air

It is possible to fly directly from Shanghai in around three hours, which saves a considerable amount of time and trouble. Passengers flying from Hanoi to Shanghai will arrive at Pudong International Airport, which is located some 40 kilometers to the east of the city. There are plenty of taxis waiting to take passengers into the city and the fare should be around US$20, while there are also buses available for a fare of around US$4.

The hard way – by train, boat, bus and taxi

From Hanoi to ShanghaiA cheap and scenic way of completing the journey is by taking an early morning minibus from Hanoi to the border and then a taxi to Pingxiang. Next, take a train from Pingxiang to Nanning, changing trains and heading onward to Shanghai.

By train – The easiest way to travel between Hanoi and Shanghai by train involves changing trains at Beijing. The journey to Beijing from Hanoi takes about two and a half days, which means that passengers who want to be comfortable should expect to pay around US$156 for a soft sleeper ticket. The journey takes about 10 hours from Beijing to Shanghai and there are trains at 11:05 and 20:49.