Advice Needed re Visa for Arrival on 1 Way Ticket.
 

I'm planning an independent trip for the fall 2012 and would like to enter China on a flight from the US and exit the country by train to Vietnam. Has anyone entered the country recently on a oneway ticket who could reassure me that it can be done. I'd very much like to make all arrangements as I go as time won't be much of an issue. I've read that obtaining a visa is a more relaxed process in some places and if so, where? Any current information appreciated.

Obviously, you must have a visa in advance to enter China. You must also have a visa in advance to enter VN. If it were me, I'd get my visa for VN before embarking on my trip.

Yes, of course. I was planning to obtain the VN visa in Nanning on my way but is your point that if I get it prior to applying for the China visa it will prove intent to leave China? If not, please explain further. The problem may be the timing if I get the VN visa too far in advance. I'll look into it further.

I'm fully flexible regarding where I apply for the China visa and also the port of entry. I understand there are visa agencies in Hong Kong who have a somewhat more relaxed itinerary requirement when applying. If anyone has current information in this regard I'd love to hear it.

I entered China by train from Mongolia, and left by train to Vietnam, having obtained my Vietnamese visa in Beijing, and my Chinese visa in Moscow. But that was in 2004.

I entered China in 2005 on a 1 way ticket into Kunming, left by boat from Jinghong, but I believe getting a visa requires more proof of itinerary these days. So I'm trying to determine exactly what is required although I could apply for the visa in HKG and enter overland if it made more sense to do it that way. As opposed to, say, flying from San Francisco to Shanghai with visa in advance.

I have entered China via various means dozens of times through the last 20+ years. Never asked by Chinese immigration to show proof of onward ticket. And it is not a pre-requisite to enter China. [Not including visa-free transit. ]

And you don't need to have an air ticket issued to get a visa for China either.

I have entered China many times with one way rickets. When you pass immigration they only look at your passport, they have no idea how and when you will leave.
Some embassies require you to have all your bookings (flights and hotels) to grant you a visa. In this case just book some that you can cancel once the visa is issued.

We flew SFO to Beijing, spent three weeks in China and then flew Shanghai to Hanoi. I had copies of all of my flights( 1 way in, another 1 way out) when I went to the Chinese Consulate to get our visas but they didn't look at them. They did,however, turn away the people in line in front of me( not from US) who didn't have their flight information with them. Passport control in Beijing did nto ask for any proof of flight out of the country.