Train Travel in Vietnam

Posted On Jun 4 2010 | By Bella Bui | 4 Comments

One of the best ways to travel across the Vietnam Country is by train. Vietnam’s rail network extends to most destinations allowing you to see the countryside at a leisurely pace. And maybe, safety, comfort and reasonable fee are what any passengers, foreign tourists and Vietnamese travelers can recognizes whenever experiencing.

Where do the trains go?

Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City

This is the main north-south running line referred to as “Reunification Express”. While there are over 100 stations on the line, the popular and fastest trains service around 20 stations, The stations include, Hanoi, Vinh, Dong Hoi, Dong Da, Hue, Da Nang (for Hoi An), Quang Ngai, Dieu Tri (for Qui Nhon), Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Muong Man (for Mui Ne) and  Saigon.

Train number lines: Hanoi – Ho Chi Minh city: SE1, SE3, SE5, SE7, TN1

Ho Chi Minh city – Hanoi: SE2, SE4, SE6, SE8, TN2

Hanoi to Lao Cai

This line, striking northwest from Hanoi, terminates at the border town of Lao Cai, for tourists wish to discover Sa Pa, one of northern Vietnam’s most popular spots. Most of the trains run at night.

Hanoi to Dong Dang

Dong Dang is the border town, in Lang Son province, on the Chinese frontier and this train, running northeast of Hanoi, is the most popular way to reach it.

What classes are available?

Hard seat
It is actually a wooden bench seat to be exact. The cheapest class on the train, hard seat is also the first to fill up and is invariably packed.

Soft seat
Next cheapest off the rack, soft seat are considerably more comfortable. Soft seat comes in three flavours — reclining air-con, air-con and non air-con.

Modern reclining seats on trains SE1-SE8

Hard sleeper

Hard sleeper comes in a six-berth configuration with both a fan-cooled and air-con option. The compartments do not have a door, so you need to be extra careful with your belongings.

Soft sleeper
This is the most comfortable class and comes with surprisingly soft beds in a four-bed configuration, with or without air-con. All soft sleeper bunks are priced the same.

A soft class 4-berth sleeper, SE1-SE8

How long do the trains take?

Rough trip times are (depending on the class of train and number of stops):

Hanoi to Vinh: 5-7 hours
Vinh to Dong Hoi: 3.5-5 hours
Dong Hoi to Dong Ha: 2-3 hours
Dong Ha to Hue: 1-2 hours
Hue to Da Nang: 3-4 hours
Da Nang to Nha Trang: 10-12 hours
Nha Trang to Muong Man: 4-7 hours
Muong Man to Saigon: 3.5-4.5 hours