Thank you! Calling around it seems that the fact that a hospital "looks closed" is not the same thing as being completely shuttered. The government office instructed us to start by returning to the hospital.

Does anyone have experience replacing a lost Chinese birth certificate (for a Chinese child)?

From what I can gather, going back to the hospital where the baby was delivered will be fairly straightforward.

Our problem is that one of our sons was born at a hospital which has since closed. What government office might have the records and be able to issue a replacement birth certificate?

Friends have done it recently, but I don't know about demand levels. Capacity is significant, so if you're not going on a major Chinese holiday, there should be availability.

Note that visas can 'not' be paid for or processed as visa-on-arrival when taking the train. You must have a visa sticker in your passport already.

By the by, they recently reduced the border wait time from 1.5 hours at each border to 1 hour, so Kunmingnan to Vientiane travel time is now about 9.5 hours from station to station +/- the 1-hour time change.

Thank you! Quite helpful.

Anyone with recent experience of crossing into or out of Laos from Yunnan? Procedures? Requirements? Thanks!