Exploring Vietnam is cheap and easy. I found the best way to see the country was by rail.
Vietnam’s air-conditioned trains are the ideal way for you to get around and see Vietnam. They are say safe, comfortable & inexpensive. When you travel by train in Vietnam you are going to get a genuine Vietnamese experience as an integral part of your visit to Vietnam. You will most likely get to meet some Vietnamese people on the train and get to talk to them for an extended period of time.
Sometimes nonrev travelers think they’ll save time by flying when in fact, an overnight train ride from Hanoi to Hué or Danang actually saves time compared to flying, because the train leaves Hanoi city centre in the evening and arrives in Hué city centre next morning! That also saves you a hotel night!
The train journey is a genuine Vietnamese experience and flying is a wasted opportunity to really experience Vietnam.
Flying during the day is also going to take 4 or 5 hours out of your sightseeing day in getting to a remote airport, checking in, taking the flight itself, collecting your bags and getting back into the city centre.
Plus the sleeper train saves you a hotel bill, too. And what’s the rush anyway?
You will find air-conditioned trains with sleepers and on-board catering linking Hanoi, Hué, Danang, Nha Trang, and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Hoi An does not have it’s own station, but it’s just 30km by bus or taxi from Danang.
There are also trains from Hanoi to Haiphong (for Halong Bay) and Hanoi to Lao Cai (for Sapa).
The most magical part of the Hanoi to Saigon train journey is the world-class scenic section between Hué and Danang. The train runs along the South China Sea, snaking from cliff to jungle-covered cliff past beaches and islands, then heads through the lush green mountains via the Hai Van Pass to reach Danang.
In Vietnamese it’s Đèo Hải Vân meaning ‘Ocean Cloud Pass’, and I can’t think of a better name. The vivid blue skies, green waters and yellow beaches will take your breath away. Make sure you have your camera ready on this part of the route.
Over the last decade the Hanoi-Saigon train service steadily improved and there are now a whole range of daily air-conditioned trains linking Hanoi, Hue, Danang, Nha Trang & Saigon (HCMC), an ideal way to travel between these cities.
There are additional trains at peak times such as the Tet holiday period in late January or February.
So how do you get to the magical city of Hoi An when the train does not stop there?
Hoi An is a historic must-see town featuring on most visitor’s itineraries. It’s 30 km south of Danang, but has no railway station. Simply take a train to Danang, then a regular buses, minibus or taxi from Danang to Hoi An taking between 45 minutes and an hour. Bus number 01 runs every 20 minutes 05:30-17:30 and costs about 20,000 dong ($1) – resist the conductor asking for more! The bus stop is on the corner of Tran Phu street and Hoang Van Thu street. A taxi costs around US$9-15 depending on your negotiation skills.
So how much does it cost to ride the rails in Vietnam?
Train fares in Vietnam are cheap, and sleeper trains save on hotel bills as well as the cost of taxis to & from airports way outside the cities they serve. The fares shown below are typical fares for the SE1 or SE2, fares actually vary slightly by season, and fares for the slightly faster SE3 & SE4 are a fraction higher, for the SE5/6/7/8 slightly lower. Fares for the SNT trains are about the same, fares for the slower TN trains are significantly cheaper. Incidentally, the old system of charging foreigners higher fares than Vietnamese citizens was abolished in 2002.
Children aged 0 to 4 travel free, children 5 to 9 travel at half fare. Children 10 and over must pay full fare.
Fares are shown here in 1000s of Vietnamese Dong. £1 = approx 32,900 Dong. $1 = 20,500 Dong.
It’s pretty easy to buy train tickets at the station when you get to Vietnam. Trains are busy, but except at peak holiday times such as Tet, if you book a day or two ahead you’ll usually find tickets available, even if your first choice of class or train is sold out.
Reservations were computerized back in 2002, and you can buy tickets for most train journeys within Vietnam at either the Saigon or Hanoi booking offices. So for example, you can buy both a Saigon-Hue ticket and a Hue-Hanoi ticket in Saigon. However, at other stations such as Hue, Danang or Nha Trang, you may only be able to book journeys starting at the station you’re at.
At ticket offices, you pay in Vietnamese Dong, US dollars are not generally accepted, nor are non-Vietnamese credit cards.
Booking opens 60 days before departure, sometimes more than 90 days before departure, for the end-to-end journey, for example Hanoi to Saigon on trains SE1 or SE3. Shorter segments of the journey – for example Hanoi to Hue to Nha Trang to Saigon on the SE1 or SE3 – open later, with the really short hops only opening a week or two ahead.
At peak holiday periods such as Tet (Vietnamese new year, in late January or February) you should definitely pre-book as soon as booking opens, but at other times it’s not usually difficult to buy tickets at the station a few days in advance if you’re not too fussy about the exact date, train or class.
If you are booking for the same day or the following day, you might find the best quality SE trains full, but other slower trains may have berths available, or perhaps you’ll find the soft sleepers full, but hard sleepers still available, so be prepared to be flexible.
However, you’re unlikely to get stuck as there’s usually something available to your destination even at fairly short notice.
If it’s important to you to be on a specific train on a certain date in a certain class, I’d recommend paying the small amount extra to pre-book tickets through a reliable agency such as www.vietnamimpressive.com before you get to Vietnam,
What are the Vietnam trains like?
Most western visitors typically choose to travel in a soft sleeper. Soft sleeper compartments have 4 berths, each come with a pillow, sheet and duvet and an individual reading light. By day you simply sit on the lower berths.
The newer cars are a bit tatty and grubby by western standards as they are intensively used, but overall soft sleeper is a pleasant and enjoyable way to travel, especially on the best trains, SE1/2/3/4. You keep all your bags with you, there is luggage space beneath the bottom bunks and in the large recess above the compartment door.
Lower berths are recommended if you’re tall, as the upper berth has a support chain taking up an inch or two at each end. The most modern cars used on the trains SE1 to SE8 have a 2-pin power socket for recharging your mobile or camera, and you’ll find a western-style toilet usually kept supplied with soap and toilet paper at one or both ends of the corridor. Most of the trains now offer free Wifi also.
Several windows on the corridor side open which is great for photography, but the compartment windows don’t open. There’s a free water dispenser at the end of the corridor for both boiling and cold water, which comes in handy if you have bought some powdered soup, ramen noodles, instant coffee or hot chocolate with you, or have bought some dried noodles from one of the stalls at the station.
A trolley service comes down the aisle serving snacks, coffee, soft drinks and beer, and at meal times a member of the train staff will sell you a meal ticket for around 35,000 dong (£1 or $1.60). A set meal with mineral water will then be delivered to your compartment around half an hour later from the kitchen car. At night, you’ll find a lock and usually an additional security lock on the door.
If the soft sleepers are full, or if you’re in a group of 5 or 6 people, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t travel hard sleeper, especially if it’s an overnight journey such as Hanoi to Hue with relatively little daytime element so you’ll spend most of the time in your berth. Hard sleeper compartments have 6 berths, lower, middle and top on each side, but apart from the extra two berths, the facilities are exactly the same as for soft sleepers in terms of power sockets, water dispenser, toilets, luggage space and meals.
Livitrans private sleeping-cars, Hanoi to Hue & Danang
One or two privately-run Livitrans sleeping-cars are attached to SE1/SE2 between Hanoi, Hue and Danang, aimed at foreign tourists. These cars have 4-berth compartments of a better standard than the regular Vietnamese Railways sleepers, but cost more. If budget is an issue for you, stick with the regular Vietnamese railways sleepers, but if you’re happy paying a bit more for a much nicer environment, go for these Livitrans cars.
The fare includes water and pot noodles, and there are electrical sockets for charging cameras and mobiles. In the past, the Vietnamese Railways have periodically changed the train to which these Livitrans cars are attached, so check when you book. Note that at busy times, for example Tet & high summer, these Livitrans cars may run attached to different trains, so check when booking.
Most of the tourists in these Livitrans cars leave the train at Hué, leaving you with little competition for the handful of opening windows in the corridor to photograph the superb scenery along the coast and over the Hai Van Pass between Hué and Danang.
Fares: The fare is US$75 one-way per person from Hanoi to Hue or US$85 Hanoi to Danang, travelling in 4-berth air-conditioned soft sleepers. See www.livitrans.com for fares & online booking.