Having lived there for a couple of years and travelled around extensively by bus and train, taking that experience into the overlanding context, I would be leaving the large fee in my pocket, leaving my vehicle at the border and doing a luxury tourist trap tour that would show me more and cost less.
Obviously not possible if you need to get through china to complete your trip, but given the current hassles in Thailand, Myanmar and maybe Laos and prohibitions in Vietnam, that may not be possible forever anyway.
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