Train rides are a great way to cover distance in Vietnam, whether it’s a short scenic ride or a long overnight trip designed to save airfare and hotel expenses.
Vietnam’s train lines run from Ho Chi Minh City all the way to Hanoi, stopping at major cities along the way. Two of the prettiest stretches are between Hue and Danang and the stretch in Phu Yen Province to the north of Nha Trang. Travel to Vietnam
There are several classes of train, depending on the rail line and times. The choices are hard seat (wooden benches), soft seat (similar to bus seats), hard sleeper (a cabin with six bunks with very thin padding) and soft sleeper (like a hard sleeper but with thicker mattresses and, usually, four bunks instead of six). Air conditioning is available in all sleeper cabins but may not be in all sitting cars. The trains between Lao Cai and Hanoi and the direct service between Ho Chi Minh City and Phan Thiet offer better facilities.
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| Train travel in Vietnam |
Dining options
Meal, snack and beverage carts generally pass by every few minutes. There is also a kitchen car where meals can be purchased, and passengers are permitted to hop off the train at stops to buy snacks. Do not linger, however, or you will be left behind. The food available is strictly Vietnamese (often rice, boiled cabbage and pork) and not very good.
Facilities are somewhat cramped, especially in sleeper cars. The cabins are often full, which may mean that you are sleeping with five strangers. The Vietnamese have a habit of sneaking children on board without tickets, which makes things all the more cramped. Large people may have trouble sitting up straight in the bunks or having enough room to lie flat.
From Hanoi, routes branch off to Lao Cai (from where buses travel to Kunming in China), Lang Son (leading to Beijing) and Haiphong. Other routes under construction may link Dalat to Phan Rang, and Ho Chi Minh City to the Cambodian border – if they are ever completed.
