During the Qingming holiday, a colleague in our office suggested a self-drive trip to Dongxing in Guangxi to take in the scenery of the China–Vietnam border and try some local food. He is the kind of person who is always drawn to the road—someone who once cycled solo along the 318 National Highway into Tibet and had even crossed stretches of primitive jungle before. With that kind of experience behind him, it did not take much persuasion for a few of us to agree to an impromptu getaway.
We traveled with five adults, two children, and two cars. The route was simple enough.
On the first day, we drove from Zhanjiang to Dongxing. The trip followed the G75 Lanhai Expressway and then the G7511 Qindong Expressway into the city. The full distance was 306 kilometers, and according to Baidu Maps the drive took about three and a half hours. After arriving in Dongxing that afternoon, we had a meal in the city and checked into a hotel.
The second day was reserved for the border road and the hot springs. We left Dongxing for Dongzhong Hot Spring, taking Provincial Road S325 and crossing Ma'an Pass on the way to Dongzhong Town. After lunch, we soaked in the hot springs and returned to Dongxing later that same afternoon.
On the third day, we headed back to Zhanjiang by way of the Qindong and Lanhai expressways.
Perhaps because it was a holiday, Dongxing itself felt unexpectedly manageable. There were not that many cars or crowds in the urban area, and booking a hotel turned out to be quite easy. Finding a good place to eat was a little more troublesome. While in town, we visited several border landmarks, including the No. 1 Boundary Marker of the Qing Dynasty, the No. 5 Boundary Marker of the Qing Dynasty, and the Dongxing Port. Near both the No. 5 marker and the port, the Beilun River forms the separation from Vietnam.
One local specialty we did try was Dongxing’s sweet-and-sour rice noodles, which were quite good. We had also heard that Vietnamese chicken pho in the area was worth trying, but since we had no idea which place was the authentic one, we ended up skipping it.
The real highlight of the trip, though, was not in the city but on the road—especially S325.
Provincial Road S325 begins in Zhushan Village in Dongxing and runs west to Nonghe Village in Napo County, near the Yunnan border. The route stretches for 725 kilometers in total. It is a third-class road overall, with some second-class sections, about six meters wide, and paved with asphalt. For much of its length, it runs with mountains and water separating China from Vietnam, and at its closest points it comes to within less than 100 meters of the national boundary. Because of this, it has earned the nickname “the Great Wall of the China–Vietnam border,” and it is often regarded as one of the most beautiful border roads in China.
Most sections of S325 run parallel to the Beilun River, so the drive to Dongzhong Hot Spring on the second day became a scenic journey in its own right. The river water was so clear that the bottom could be seen easily, and there were plenty of smooth pebbles to pick up along the banks.
Another memorable section was Ma'an Pass along S325. The road there is known for its tight succession of bends: 28 elbow turns and 17 hairpin turns. It is a route full of curves and elevation changes, but the pavement was in very good condition, and the whole drive went smoothly.
That became even more obvious on the return. On the way back, we took County Road X256 instead, only to find roadwork everywhere and a ride rough enough to make us regret changing course. In hindsight, it would have been far better to cross Ma'an Pass again and return the same way we came.
For this trip, Dongxing was not just a border city. It was a place where the road, the river, the markers of history, and the distant view across into Vietnam all came together in a way that made the journey itself the most worthwhile part.