Getting Chinese visa in Hanoi- success

I am so glad I found this thread!

I was just wondering if anyone that had been through this process recently knew whether there was still a rush service? We arrive in Hanoi next Tuesday night and fly to Hong Kong on Friday night. So we have exactly 3 days to get our visas. Cutting it very fine I know, however I only just found out getting the China visa in Hanoi was an option. Previously we had planned to get it in Hong Kong, however we are there over the weekend and worry that we will really be leaving it until the last minute that way!!

We are both Australians, have all of our accommodation booked and our flights from Shanghai to LA and are only after a 30 day visa. We are planning on catching the train from Hong Kong to Shenzen, however we haven't got this ticket booked yet. Would it be advisable to get this booked before applying for our visas?

Thanks in advance!

As I found this thread very usefull, I would like to share my success info:

I submited Feb 2014:
- German passport
- 1 photocopy of passport photo page
- 1 photocopy of Vietnam visa page
- 1 passport photo
- 1 application form, 4 pages. They hand it to you entering the building.
The form asks you to list 5 places to stay in China, which I did. (but changed my plans after arriving in China)
- 1 hotel booking for first stop in China. This is where the lady at the counter had a problem with and asked what about the other 4 bookings. I told her that I do not have yet, as I wait for the visa first. She told me, that her manager has to decide this and that I should come back next morning. But next day they gave me the pink payment paper without any further questions, so everything fine. (I changed my plan for hotel in China later as well and cancelled the booking)
- It might help if you have been a vistior to China before, what you can put on the form as well. (I even wrote down my old visa number, which was in an expired passport)

I DID NOT need to submit:
- ticket leaving China (which I didn't have anyway, because I entered and left the country by bus - did not tell them)
- travel insurance
- financial status

With pink payment paper, you just take a motorbike to bank. Drivers will already wait for you outside embassy. Or take public bus no.32 direction west from the main road south of the embassy. Quite easy to find, as it is on a large crossing in a big building to the right. Embassy staff even give you a paper with bank address.

Applied for visa on a Thursday and got in next next Tuesday morning. 30 days tourist visa. No urgent process requested.

Later I got a 30 days extension while I was in Xining, Qinghai province.

this is the latest from hanoi !
they DONT ISSUE a tourist visa from hanoi embassy ,i my self got not refused but unable to apply ,i told that to a friend of mine who runs a travel agency in hanoi,and she said this was crazy beacause just the previose wek a fellow american was able the get the visa .i went there again the following morning and explained that i only need to go china for a few days since my ultimate goal is to take the transmongolian from bejing .at that point the lady told me that i could possibly apply for a transit visa ,wich alouds you to stay in china for 7 days .this was ok for me .so i apply and got it ( i already made the payment true the bank they tell you to go to )now i need to go there on wedsday morning to pick up the passaport along with visa for 7 days .if this is not suitable for you you must apply either in ho chi minh city ,or in hong konk..as an american the total cost for the 7 dayd transit visa was 140.00 u.sd .
for other nationality it is much cheaper .from the emassy to the bank i took a taxy .he waited for me 5 -10 minutes outside the bank went back to the embassy present the payment stab and back to the hotel(french old quarter)
total cost 150.000 dong = 7.00 dollars . much better than take the motor bike who can be a little less expansive but much more annoying .if you should have an opportunity to apply from your country do that ,it will safe a lot of aggravations .only rimember that from the moment they issue the visa you have 30 days to start to use it .good luck