Harbin-Mohe-Chengdu Adventure: Your Self-Guided Journey Guide
Planning a trip to the snowy landscapes of Mohe can feel a bit daunting, especially when there aren't many detailed guides for independent travelers. That's why I'm excited to share our group's recent adventure to Harbin, Mohe, and Chengdu on November 16, 2024. With a group of 8, we aimed to gather reliable and useful information to boost your confidence for your own self-guided explorations. This is purely for sharing, with no commercial intent whatsoever.
1. Flight Tickets
The golden rule is to compare prices for flights with similar conditions and book the cheapest option. Our group opted for Trip.com, a platform I've previously highlighted for its benefits. For our Mohe trip, round-trip flights ranged from 1.6 million to 4 million VND. Securing tickets about a month in advance at the 1.6 million VND mark was a fantastic deal – unlikely to find much cheaper! Keep in mind that prices surge during snowy season (November to February) compared to other months.
We also encountered a situation with a connecting flight change on our return journey. Trip.com's support was excellent, resolving our issue swiftly and more efficiently than other apps used by group members.
Sichuan Airlines offers accommodation for long layovers in Chengdu. We were arranged to stay at the Holiday Inn Express Chengdu Airport of Tianfu, about 13km from Tianfu Airport. You can request this through Trip or directly email e-bookingservice@sichuanair.com. While they might not reply immediately, you'll receive confirmation and instructions on hotel shuttle services, along with the hotel's contact number, closer to your departure date.
2. Visa
For those from Central Vietnam, applying directly at the HCM visa center is an option due to the CT08 policy. Others in our group used a service in Da Nang, costing 2.7 million VND for a 15-day stay, which included all processing – just sending photos and passports to Da Nang was required.
A notable change this year: for individuals with southern household registration, the place of residence verification and bank account confirmation must be in the same province.
3. Hotels
We again utilized Trip.com for our hotel bookings. All these establishments welcome foreign guests. In our experience across three trips to China, most hotels accommodate extra guests without charge, provided it doesn't feel overcrowded.
Here are the hotels our group stayed at, along with our reviews:
a. Harbin Hotels
- Home Inn Plus (Harbin Central Street) (驿居酒店(哈尔滨中央大街店))
Address: No.19 West 16th Street, Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang, China (地址: 西十六道街19號, 道里區, 哈爾濱)
WeChat Name/Phone: 如家精选-哈尔滨中央大街店 / 8618745022297
This hotel is conveniently located near bus route 3, connecting you to the airport and the ZhongYang pedestrian street. It's also close to Saint Sophia Cathedral. The location, cleanliness, and amenities were all satisfactory. Note: they do not support cash top-ups for their app.
Just to the right of the hotel when heading towards the pedestrian street, you'll find a great local eatery serving delicious braised fish that's perfectly seasoned.
- Jinjiang Inn Select (Harbin Central Avenue Pedestrian Street Airport Bus Station) (錦江之星品尚（（哈爾濱中央大街步行街機場巴士站店）))
Address: No.32 Central Street, Daoli District, 150010 Harbin, Heilongjiang (地址： 中央大街32號, 道里區, 哈爾濱, 150010)
Phone: +86-451-51191555-0
WeChat: JJ045151191555
Stepping out of this hotel puts you directly onto ZhongYang pedestrian street, offering even more convenient access than the Home Inn. All aspects were excellent. A small tip: note your room number immediately upon exiting the elevator to avoid a lengthy walk with your luggage and potential damage to your suitcase, as the corridors are wide and can be tough on wheels!
b. Beihong Village Hotel
- Mohe Humble House Homestay (漠河寒舍精品民宿（北红村店）)
Address: Beihong Village, Mohe, Heilongjiang, China (地址： 北極鎮北紅村, 漠河)
Phone-WeChat: +86-13624571710
The rooms were spotlessly clean, and the host was incredibly friendly and helpful. Its location is right at the entrance of the village, opposite the An Shun convenience store. The backyard offers ample space for fireworks and playing with boiling water. The host can also provide dinner and breakfast for an additional fee, and hot water for the fun activities is complimentary.
c. Arctic Village Hotel
- Arctic Friends Home International Youth Hostel Homestay (漠河北极驴友之家国际青年旅舍)
Address: Arctic Pole Village, 165303 Mohe, Heilongjiang, China (地址： 北極村觀光街西18號, 漠河, 165303)
Phone: +86-13804841364
WeChat: heye1181870388
This accommodation is a bit older but offers dinner (paid) – a hearty stew of chicken and potatoes. They also sell ski tickets and entry to the Christmas Village for 120 RMB. Hot water is available 24/7 at the reception, and they offer delicious blueberry drinks.
4. Transportation
- From Taiping Airport to ZhongYang Street, our group took a bus for 20 RMB per person per way. At Taiping Airport, turn right outside the arrival hall to find the ticket counter. After purchasing your ticket, head outside and turn left. Look for signs indicating bus lines 1-2-3 and wait at the designated area for line 3. The journey takes about an hour. The earliest bus departs at 4:30 AM, so be at the station by 4:25 AM. Buses run every 30 minutes. The bus stop for the airport return is directly opposite the ZhongYang Street arrival point.
- For the journey from Mohe Gulian Airport to Beihong Village and Arctic Pole Village, we hired a 14-seater vehicle. Our driver was exceptionally kind, caring, and made our 4-day, 3-night trip incredibly smooth for a total of 1800 RMB. We often invited him to share meals, as he was quite modest and ate very little. His WeChat is 13555073917 if you need to contact him.
5. SIM Card and Travel Insurance
We purchased our SIM cards from Shopee through simquocteHCM. They offer support via Zalo for adding more data for e-SIMs if you run out. For extensive work usage, opting for a larger package from the start is more economical.
For travel insurance, UIC offered competitive pricing compared to other providers with similar benefits. We felt confident in our choice after reading reviews where individuals had successfully received compensation.
6. Food and Dining
Here are some dining recommendations in Harbin, with dish names in Chinese to help with ordering via ride-hailing apps or at restaurants:
- Lao Chu Jia Restaurant (老厨家) is located at No. 318 Youyi Road, Daoli District, Harbin (哈尔滨市道里区友谊路318号), or on the third floor of Balas Food City, No. 55 West 7th Street, Daoli District (道里区西七道街55号巴拉斯美食城三楼).
- On Hong Zhuan Street (红专街), where it intersects with Zhongyang Street, you'll find two excellent restaurants: one specializing in skewers and another offering hot pot (look for the one with a long queue – the hot pot resembles our Vietnamese "lẩu cù lao").
- Zhiyin Restaurant (知音酒楼) at No. 45 Guangjie Street (汉广街45号) is recommended for an early dinner, aiming to leave before 5:30 PM.
- Xiang Chu Ren Jia Restaurant (鄉廚人家) serves hot pot. A Chinese friend mentioned it might be closed, so if you visit, please share your findings!
- For Russian cuisine, try Hua Mei Western Restaurant (华梅西餐厅). For hot pot, Xiong Mao Lai Le (熊猫来了). For grilled fish, look for Wei Da Hang Lu (伟大航路). For malatang, An Fa Qiao Malatang (安发瞧麻辣烫). We didn't personally visit these, but gathered this information to save you time searching.
- In Arctic Pole Village, Mohe Weidao Hotel (漠河味道酒店) offers delicious, clean, and varied dishes.
Must-try dishes include:
- Guo Bao Rou (锅包肉): Crispy sweet and sour pork.
- Khleb Bread (大列巴): A local staple.
- Harbin Red Sausage (哈尔滨红肠): Famous local sausage.
- Demori Braised Fish (得莫利炖鱼).
- Grilled Cold Noodles (烤冷面).
7. Important Notes
- Exchanging cash for RMB often yields better rates than purchasing through apps. It's advisable to load around 500 RMB onto Alipay or WeChat beforehand. You can then ask shop owners or hotel staff to help you top up your apps for easier payment, especially if your Chinese language skills are limited.
- When waiting for connecting flights, keep your boarding pass and passport with you, particularly if you plan to explore the airport terminals.
- Having images of your destination saved is incredibly helpful for drivers, ensuring they stop at the correct location and minimizing walking. Once you've booked a ride, avoid moving your position, as the driver's GPS might differ from your actual location, leading to communication issues if you can't speak Chinese.
- The local cuisine is generally not overly strong in flavor, which should be quite agreeable for Vietnamese palates.
- You can find good deals on winter clothing. At the Manhattan building opposite one side of Saint Sophia Cathedral (currently under renovation), look for the area where winter boots are displayed like in a large supermarket (similar to Big C) for prices as low as 39 RMB, rather than individual stalls.
- Don't miss trying the 53-degree ice cream in Mohe, Arctic Pole Village, and Beihong Village!
- The Didi app requires one phone per trip, even if you have both Alipay and WeChat. To book another ride, wait for your current trip to end or use a different phone. You can adjust your destination after boarding. For long distances, drivers are permitted by the platform to request additional support fees for the return journey plus highway tolls.
- If you make a mistake with a passenger's name when booking on Trip, ask airport staff for assistance – they are usually quick to help.
- Most souvenirs on Zhongyang Street are Russian-themed. For local products, explore smaller supermarkets on other streets.
- If you need to change your itinerary or cancel/reschedule a hotel booking, message the hotel via WeChat. They are generally accommodating with free cancellations or date changes if notified well in advance.
- Visiting Sophia Cathedral in the early morning offers a more tranquil experience compared to the afternoon crowds.
- The post office in Arctic Pole Village has temporarily relocated.
- Make the most of your two hours at the ski resort for maximum enjoyment!
- Even with a pre-paid ticket, you might need to pay a 500 RMB deposit per person before receiving ski gear (boots, poles, skis). This deposit is refunded after you return the equipment and check out.
- When selecting ski boots, opt for a size that's 2-3 sizes larger than your usual shoe size.
- Register for automatic entry before clearing exit immigration. This will allow for faster automatic re-entry upon your return, especially for passports without chips.
- When ordering food, even with pictures, pay attention to the meat type (lamb, goat, or beef) to avoid any dietary restrictions.
- Save images of your desired destinations to show your driver. This will ensure they stop at the correct spots and minimize your walking distance.
Cre: Oanh Phạm Nguyễn Tâm
