Travelling by train in Vietnam |
Vietnamese trains are the ideal way for independent travellers to get around and see Vietnam at ground level. The trains are safe, comfortable and inexpensive. The train journeys are also an experience in themselves, and become an integral part of your visit to Vietnam.
Air-conditioned trains link Hanoi, Hué, Danang, Nha Trang, and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). Hoi An has no 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).
You'll see some wonderful scenery from the train between Hanoi and Saigon. Pictured right, a Hanoi to Saigon train is photographed between Hué and Danang. This is the most scenic section of line, running along the coast past bays and islands and through the hills. The train travels at low speed up the fierce gradients, with an assisting locomotive at the rear and people sitting on the roof..! There are more pictures below.
Is it Saigon or Ho Chi Minh? Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) is officially the name for the whole conurbation. However, the city centre is still officially called by it's time-honoured traditional name, 'Saigon', and it is 'Sai Gon' (not Ho Chi Minh City) which appears in the railway timetables and in big letters on Saigon station building. So do what the locals do, call it Saigon!
The Reunification Express? Trains between Hanoi and Saigon are sometimes referred to as the 'Reunification Express' by guide books or tourist agencies. However, there are now many trains on this route and no single train officially carries this name.
On this page:
Trains within Vietnam:
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International trains & buses to/from Vietnam
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Above: A train from Hanoi to Saigon climbs into the mountains along the coast between Hué and Danang.
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Above: The view from the train... Coastline seen from the Hanoi to Saigon train between Hué and Danang.
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Here are the principal trains in Vietnam, all running daily unless otherwise shown. Look for the 'SE' numbered trains, as these are the best. There are additional trains at peak times, such as the Tet holiday period. You can check train times at the Vietnamese Railways website, www.vr.com.vn.
Hanoi ► Hué ► Danang ► Saigon (Ho Chi Minh)
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Train number:
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SE1 *
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SE3 *
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SE5 *
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TN3
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TN1
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TN7
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TN9**
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5-Star
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0
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Hanoi depart:
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19:00 day 1
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23:00 day 1
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13:05 day 1
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15:45
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10:05
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19:50
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21:00
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-
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116 km
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Ninh Binh
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18:11
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12:35
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22:17
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-
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688 km
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Hué
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08:42 day 2
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10:37 day 2
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01:19 day 2
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06:55
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02:29
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11:36
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12:25
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-
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791 km
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11:40 day 2
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13:13 day 2
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03:58 day 2
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10:21
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05:51
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15:44
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17:07
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-
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1,315 km
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Nha Trang
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21:59 day 2
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21:42 day 2
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12:37 day 2
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21:21
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17:44
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03:05
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04:59
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14:55
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1,726 km
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Saigon arrive:
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05:20 day 3
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04:30 day 3
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20:00 day 2
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07:25
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02:55
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11:40
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14:10
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23:18
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* = recommended trains. ** = all trains run daily, except TN9 & TN10 which run every second day.
Trains SE1-SE6 have air-con soft sleepers (4-berth), air-con hard sleepers (6-berth), air-con soft seats & air-con restaurant car.
Trains TN1 & TN2 have ordinary non-aircon hard sleepers (6-berth) & hard seats only.
Trains TN3-TN10 have air-con soft sleepers, air-con hard sleepers, hard sleepers, air-con soft seats, soft seats & hard seats.
5-Star = privately run "5 Star Express" tourist train, introduced December 2006, special fares apply, see the photos below times, fares & online booking. Also calls at Phan Rang/Thap Cham. Some cars in this train are double-deck, all cars are modern and comfortable.. Fares: 900,000 dong in club class, 660,000 dong in deluxe, 440,00 dong in standard class. See www.5starexpress.com.vn for
Hanoi to Saigon is 1,726km, about 1,070 miles. A/C = air-conditioned.
Saigon (Ho Chi Minh) ► Danang ► Hué ► Hanoi |
Train number:
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SE2 *
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SE4 *
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SE6 *
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TN4
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TN2
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TN8
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TN10**
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5-Star
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Saigon depart:
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19:00 day 1
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23:00 day 1
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13:05 day 1
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15:45
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10:05
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19:40
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21:30
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06:15
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Nha Trang
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03:01 day 2
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05:40 day 2
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20:11 day 1
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00:57
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19:03
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05:12
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08:32
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13:33
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13:00 day 2
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14:12 day 2
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05:38 day 2
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11:52
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07:50
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17:40
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20:09
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-
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Hué
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15:51 day 2
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16:36 day 2
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08:08 day 2
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15:20
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11:39
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20:32
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23:03
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-
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Ninh Binh
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18:35 day 2
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05:42
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00:59
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09:35
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-
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Hanoi arrive:
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05:38 day 3
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04:30 day 3
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20:45 day 2
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08:15
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03:25
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12:05
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14:30
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-
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Hoi An: Take a bus or taxi from Danang to Hoi An...
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Hoi An is about 30km south of Danang. There is no railway station at Hoi An, but there are regular buses, minibuses and taxis from Danang to Hoi An, taking about 45 minutes -1 hour. The bus fare is about US$3, a taxi will cost in the region of US$9-15 depending on your negotiation skills.
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Lao Cai (For Sapa) ► Hanoi:
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LC3
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SP1
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SP3
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LC1
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LC4
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LC2
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SP2
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SP4
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Hanoi
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depart
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06:10
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21:15
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21:55
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22:05
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Lao Cai
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depart
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09:15
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18:45
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20:15
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21:00
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Lao Cai
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arrive
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16:35
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05:30
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06:15
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07:25
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Hanoi
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arrive
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19:55
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04:00
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04:30
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05:05
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Trains LC1, LC2: Run daily. A/C soft sleepers, A/C hard sleepers, hard sleepers, soft seats, hard seats.
Trains LC3, LC4: Run daily. Soft seats, hard seats (not air-conditioned).
Trains SP1-SP4: Run daily. A/C soft sleepers, A/C hard sleepers, hard sleepers, A/C soft seats, soft seats, hard seats.
Sapa connection: Sapa has no railway station, but it's about 40km from Lo Cai and easily reached by tourist bus (US$2), jeep (US$4-5 per person) or hired motorbike. Hanoi to Lao Cai is 294 km. Bus to Kunming in China.
Luxury tourist trains, Hanoi to Sapa...
The overnight trains between Hanoi and Lao Cai (for Sapa) have several privately-run deluxe sleeping-cars attached, aimed at tourists. The 'Tulico' 4-berth & 2-berth deluxe sleepers are aimed at mid-market tourists. The 'Victoria Express/Royal' cars are more upmarket, with 4-berth deluxe rooms. For information & fares, Click to see this link.
Hanoi ► Haiphong:
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Haiphong ► Hanoi:
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Hanoi
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depart
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06:05
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09:25
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15:10
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-
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Haiphong
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depart
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06:00
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08:20
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14:35
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18:10
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Hanoi Long Bien
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depart
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09:35
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15:20
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17:45
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Hanoi Long Bien
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arrive
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08:25
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10:42
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17:00
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Haiphong
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arrive
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07:55
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12:10
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18:00
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20:05
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Hanoi
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arrive
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08:35
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10:55
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-
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20:00
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Hanoi - Haiphong trains have soft and hard class seats.
Hanoi Long Bien is 3km from Hanoi main station. Hanoi to Haiphong is 102 km.
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Trains SE1 to SE6...
These are the best trains in Vietnam, equipped with modern air-conditioned coaches. They have:
soft class air-conditioned sleepers (4-berths per compartment).
hard class air-conditioned sleepers (6-berths per compartment)
air-conditioned soft class reclining seats.
a restaurant or buffet car.
The coaches on these trains have large picture windows, unobstructed by the wire mesh that protects most other trains' windows from stones. Choose these trains if you can.
Which class should you choose? A/C soft sleeper is the recommended choice for most western travellers, for any journey involving overnight travel. However, A/C hard sleeper is perfectly acceptable if you're on a budget or if all the soft sleepers are sold out, so don't rule it out. A/C soft seat is recommended for daytime journeys, but not for overnight trips as you can't sleep properly in a seat.
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Above: Trains SE1-SE6 have the most modern coaches.
Photo courtesy of Willy Kaemena
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Above: Two photos of a soft class 4-berth sleeper, of the most modern type used on trains SE1-SE6. Photos courtesy of Graeme Thorley & Stephanie Sinden .
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Above: Modern reclining seats on trains SE1-SE6. Note the TV entertainment screens..!
Photo courtesy of Rakuda
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Above: Trains SE1-SE6.
Photo courtesy of Rakuda
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Trains TN1 to TN10...
These are the slower, older trains. Trains TN1 & TN2 only have hard sleepers & hard seats. Trains TN3 to TN10 have:
air-conditioned soft class sleepers (4-berths per compartment)
air-conditioned hard class sleepers (6-berths per compartment)
hard class sleepers (non-aircon, 6-berths per compartment)
air-conditioned soft class reclining seats
soft class seats (non-aircon)
hard class seats (non-aircon)
One advantage of these trains is that they have non-air-conditioned cars with windows that open, better for photographing the scenery.
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Above left: An older train at Hué. The two coaches in front of the camera are air-conditioned soft class sleepers...
Above right: Inside one of the air-conditioned 4-berth soft sleepers - the other two bunks are just out of shot to the right. In the centre is a folding table.
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Above: The refreshment trolley makes its way down the soft sleeper corridor...
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Above: Standing in the corridor of an older hard class sleeper.
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Above left: An older train arrives in Saigon.
Above right: A hard class non-AC sleeper with 6 bunks. The other three bunks are just out of shot to the left.
Photo courtesy of Pierre-Damien Jourdain.
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"5-Star Express", Saigon-Nha Trang
This is a new deluxe privately-run train, linking Saigon with Nha Trang. It has three classes, 5-star club, deluxe and standard. Some cars are double-deck like this one. The 5 Star Express also reportedly has a dining car and special deluxe departure lounges are available at Saigon and Nha Trang stations. See www.5starexpress.com.vn for more information. Photos courtesy of Graeme Thorley.
Traveller David Chapman reports on the 5-star express: "The new 5 star express from Nha Trang to Saigon was very impressive, lots of attentive attendants, very clean and almost empty (only 12 people with us in the midclass seats). Kinda strange in a week when all the flights were full, and the trains heavily booked. It is true that it is very expensive compared to other transport I guess. A meal was included, and it was very good. You are able to order drinks, ice creams or more food etc from your seat, with no need to even go to the dining car. Occasional announcements (not many and pre recorded in clear English) about the local area we passed through added to the trip and our enjoyment. One of the attendants was even happy to change the dvd playing on the TV's in our carriage, based on the looks on our faces.
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The old system of charging foreigners higher fares than Vietnamese citizens was abolished in 2002, and everyone now pays the Vietnamese fare. This makes train travel in Vietnam much cheaper for visitors than it used to be. This table shows approximate 2006 fares in 1000s of Vietnamese Dong. You can check fares for any journey on any train at the Vietnamese Railways website.
One way per person (000 dong): |
Train
type:
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Soft sleeper
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Hard sleeper
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Soft seat
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Hard seat
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Air-con
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Air-con
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Non-air-con
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Air-con
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Non-air-con
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Non-air-con
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Saigon - Hanoi
(1,726 km)
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SE
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985 (£30, $60)
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900 (£28, $55)
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-
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660 (£21, $41)
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-
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-
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TN
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914 (£29, $57)
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786 (£25, $49)
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618 (£19, $38)
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584 (£18, $35)
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492 (£15, $29)
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453 (£15, $29)
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Saigon - Danang
(935 km)
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SE
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583 (£18, $35)
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532 (£16, $31)
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-
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380 (£12, $20)
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-
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-
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TN
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557 (£17, $33)
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480 (£14, $20)
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366 (£11, $19)
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345 (£10, $18)
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290 (£9, $15)
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268 (£9, $15)
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Saigon - Hué
(1,027 km)
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SE
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660 (£21, $41)
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602 (£18, $31)
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-
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420 (£13, $23)
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-
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-
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TN
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630 (£20, $39)
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542 (£16, $31)
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407 (£12, $23)
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383 (£11, $21)
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323 (£10, $19)
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298 (£10, $19)
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Saigon - Nha Trang
(411 km)
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SE
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250 (£8, $15)
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227 (£7, $13)
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-
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167 (£5, $9)
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-
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-
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TN
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238 (£7, $13)
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205 (£6, $11)
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160 (£5, $9)
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152 (£5, $9)
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128 (£4, $7)
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118 (£4, $7)
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Hanoi - Saigon
(1,726 km)
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SE
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985 (£30, $60)
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900 (£28, $55)
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-
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660 (£21, $41)
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-
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-
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TN
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914 (£29, $57)
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786 (£25, $49)
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618 (£20, $98)
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584 (£18, $35)
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492 (£15, $29)
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453 (£15, $29)
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Hanoi - Hué
(688 km)
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SE
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454 (£14, $28)
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415 (£13, $25)
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-
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280 (£9, $17)
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-
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-
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TN
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434 (£13, $26)
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373 (£11, $21)
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270 (£8, $15)
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254 (£8, $15)
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214 (£7, $13)
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197 (£7, $13)
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Hanoi - Danang
(791 km)
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SE
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502 (£16, $31)
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460 (£13, $25)
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-
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320 (£9, $17)
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-
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-
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TN
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480 (£14, $28)
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413 (£11, $21)
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310 (£8, $15)
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292 (£8, $15)
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246 (£7, $13)
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227 (£7, $13)
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Hanoi - Lao Cai
(294 km)
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SP
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240 (£8, $15)
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188 (£6, $11)
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147 (£5, $9)
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135 (£4, $8)
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97 (£3, $6)
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84 (£3, $5)
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Hué - Danang
(103 km)
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SE
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63 (£2, $4)
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57 (£1.80, $3)
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-
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42 (£1.50, $3)
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-
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-
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TN
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60 (£2, $4)
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52 (£1.60, $3)
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40 (£1.50, $3)
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38 (£1.50, $3)
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32 (£1.50, $3)
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30 (£1.50, $3)
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Danang - Nha Trang
(524 km)
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SE
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317 (£10, $19)
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290 (£9, $17)
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-
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213 (£7, $13)
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-
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-
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TN
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303 (£10, $19)
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260 (£8, $15)
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205 (£6, $11)
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194 (£6, $11)
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163 (£5, $10)
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150 (£5, $10)
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Children aged 0 to 4 travel free, children 5 to 9 travel at half fare. Children10 and over must pay full fare.
The hard sleeper fares shown here are for the middle bunk. Top bunks are roughly 20% cheaper, bottom bunks roughly 12% more.
The soft sleeper fares shown here are for the bottom bunk. Top bunks are roughly 10% cheaper.
Do I need a reservation..? Can I stop off along the way..? Can hop on and off..?
All trains require a seat or berth reservation, so you need a separate ticket/reservation for each individual train journey you make. If you want to travel from Saigon to Hanoi (or vice versa) stopping off on the way, this is not a problem, but you will need to book it as a series of separate journeys, with a separate ticket for each leg. You cannot buy an open ticket and hop on and off trains without a reservation.
How to buy tickets - at the station...
It's easy to book trains at the local station reservation office when you get to Vietnam. Reservations were computerised in 2002, and the reservation computers at certain major stations have been linked, so in some cases (but not all) it is now possible to book a train departing from a station other than the one you are at. Apart from key holiday periods (for example the Tet holiday) it is not too difficult to secure a berth a few days in advance, although if you are booking for the same day or the following day, you may need to be a bit flexible over your class of accommodation, choice of train or departure date. Book in advance if you can.
If you have limited time and want to get your train reservations made in advance before you get to Vietnam, there are several reputable travel agencies who will book trains for you for a fee. Two such agencies are www.hanoipeacetour.vn & www.vietnamoceantour.vn Tickets can be waiting for you at your hotel when you get to Vietnam, or couriered overseas. Payment is by Visa, Mastercard or other major credit card. Viet-nam.net quotes US$140 (£83) for Hanoi-Saigon in an air-conditioned soft sleeper, and US$105 (£63) for Saigon-Hué, so compare these with the ticket office price shown above. Vietnamstay.com gets very good reports from travellers, although they can only book trains departing from Hanoi or Saigon, and not starting at intermediate stations. Viet-nam.net has not had such good reports. Further feedback (or recommendations for other agencies) is always appreciated..!
Rail-based tailor-made holidays in Vietnam...
Alternatively, there are UK agencies who will book Vietnamese rail travel for you as part of a tailor-made itinerary, such as www.regent-holidays.co.uk. These agencies are usually willing to book the trains you specify, but only if one or two hotel bookings are also made through them, usually at the more expensive tourist-orientated hotels.
Can I buy all 4 berths in a compartment to have a room to ourselves?
Privacy-loving westerners often ask this. The answer is that in theory yes you can, but it can't be guaranteed that the train staff won't allocate additional passengers to the berths they know to be empty. My advice is don't bother, just book 2 beds in a 4-berth soft class. The Vietnamese may view it as selfish to buy up 4 beds when you really only need 2, when places on their national transport system can be in short supply at times. You'll be safe and comfortable sharing a 4-berth soft sleeper, and might actually meet some real Vietnamese people this way..!
Hanoi - Beijing train service...
There is a safe and comfortable twice-weekly train service between Beijing & Hanoi. A Chinese express train with 4-berth soft class sleepers and restaurant car runs from Beijing to Dong Dang on the Vietnamese frontier (you might need to get off and wait on the platform for an hour or two at Nanning while the train is shunted). At Dong Dang you pass through customs and passport control and board a connecting Vietnamese metre-gauge train for the final run to Hanoi.
Beijing ► Hanoi
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Hanoi ► Beijing
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Beijing (West)
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depart
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16:16
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Sundays & Thursdays
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Hanoi
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depart
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18:30
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Tuesdays & Fridays
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Zhengzhou
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depart
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22:43
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Sundays & Thursdays
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Dong Dang **
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arrive
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22:40
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Tuesdays & Fridays
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Guilin
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depart
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14:36
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Mondays & Fridays
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Dong Dang **
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depart
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01:20
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Wednesdays & Saturdays
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Nanning
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depart
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21:15
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Mondays & Fridays
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Nanning
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arrive
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06:50
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Wednesdays & Saturdays
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Dong Dang **
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arrive
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00:11
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Tuesdays & Saturdays
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Guilin
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arrive
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14:58
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Wednesdays & Saturdays
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Dong Dang **
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depart
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03:50
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Tuesdays & Saturdays
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Zhengzhou
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arrive
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07:10
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Thursdays & Sundays
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Hanoi
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arrive
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08:10
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Tuesdays & Saturdays
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Beijing (West)
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arrive
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13:38
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Thursdays & Sundays
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Note: The departure days from Beijing changed in 2004 - the train used to leave Beijing on Mondays & Fridays. Departure from Hanoi is confirmed as Tuesdays & Fridays - some parts of the Vietnamese railways website still say Tuesdays & Thursdays in error. You can check train times and fares at www.vr.com.vn/English/banggiotau_lveng.htm.
** Dong Dang is the frontier. Change trains.
Fares & how to buy tickets...
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One-way fare in soft class 4-berth sleeper.
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Beijing - Hanoi
or
Hanoi - Beijing:
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The fare is the equivalent of 143 Swiss francs (£71 or $120 or 1,939,000 Vietnamese dong) if you buy your ticket at the ticket office.
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Nanning - Hanoi
or
Hanoi - Nanning:
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The fare is the equivalent of 46 Swiss francs (£21 or $38) if booked at the ticket office.
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How to buy tickets, in Hanoi...
At Hanoi station, go to ticket window 16 for foreigners & international trains. You will need to show your passport and a valid visa for China. You can pay in US dollars or dong.
How to buy tickets, in Beijing...
On board the Hanoi-Beijing train...
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Above: The twice-weekly Hanoi-Beijing train service actually consists of two trains. This is the 2-car metre-gauge Vietnamese train which runs between Hanoi and the Chinese frontier at Dong Dang, where you change to or from the standard gauge Chinese train.
Photo courtesy of Nandakumar Narasimhan
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Above: This is the Chinese soft class sleeping-car which runs between Dong Dang & Beijing. It has comfortable, air-conditioned, carpeted 4-bed soft sleepers, and there's a restaurant car for most of the journey. A wonderful way to travel between Beijing and Vietnam..!
Photo courtesy of Nandakumar Narasimhan
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Hanoi ► Hong Kong
There is no direct train service, but the best overland option is probably as follows, costing in total about $75 or £35 one-way. You cannot buy a through ticket, you generally buy tickets for each section of this route as you go along. If you have any more information (including fares) for travelling via this route, please e-mail me..!
Day 1, take a bus or train from Hanoi to Dong Dang near the Chinese frontier. A train leaves Hanoi daily at 05:40 arriving Dong Dang 11:35, hard seats only, fare 36,00 dong (£1 or $2). There are later trains from Hanoi at 07:20 arriving Dong Dang at 14:30 and at 14:00 arriving 19:25, but these won't give you enough time to connect with trains in China. Please double-check these train times locally before you travel.
The actual frontier is about 3km from Dong Dang, taxis available. Expect it to take around 2 hours to pass through both Vietnamese and Chinese border formalities. Once in China, take a local taxi from the frontier to the nearby Chinese town of Pinxiang. Expect the taxi to cost 80-100 RMB ($10-$12).
Day 1, travel from Pinxiang to Nanning by train, leaving Pinxiang at 14:45 and arriving at Nanning at 18:07. Fare about 17 RMB (£2 or $4).
Day 1, travel by overnight train from Nanning to Guangzhou, leaving Nanning at 23:55 and arriving at Guangzhou (main station) at 11:48 next morning. Soft and hard class sleepers available. Fare about 350 RMB (£24 or $44) in a soft sleeper, 255 RMB (£17 or $32) in a hard sleeper.
Day 2, travel from Guangzhou (Dong station) to Hong Kong (Kowloon station) by train. There are a range of departures daily, including one at 14:00 arriving 15:48. Fare about HK$190 (£13 or $25).
Hong Kong ► Hanoi:
There is no direct train service, but the best overland option is probably as follows, costing in total about $75 or £35 one-way. You cannot buy a through ticket, you generally buy tickets for each section of route as you go, although you might want to pre-book the Hong Kong-Guangzhou and Guangzhou-Nanning sections through Chinatripadvisor.com. If you have any more information (including fares) for travelling via this route, please e-mail me..!
Day 1, take a train from Hong Kong (Kowloon station) to Guangzhou (Dong station). There are a range of departures daily, including one leaving Kowloon at 12:15 and arriving Guangzhou Dong at 13:47. Fare about HK$190 (£13 or $25).
Take an overnight train from Guangzhou (main station) to Nanning, departing Guangzhou at 16:02 and arriving Nanning the next morning at 05:30. Soft and hard class sleepers available. Fare about 350 RMB (£24 or $44) in a soft sleeper, 255 RMB (£17 or $32) in a hard sleeper.
Day 2, take a morning train from Nanning to Pinxiang, leaving Nanning at 07:58 and arriving Pinxiang at 12:07. Fare about 17 RMB (£2 or $4).
Take a taxi from Pinxiang to the frontier at the Friendship Pass. This will cost about 80-100RMB. Allow 2 hours or so to pass through both Chinese and Vietnamese border formalities. Then take a taxi the next 3km into Dong Dang town. This taxi will cost around $3, payable in US Dollars.
There are several trains a day from Dong Dang to Hanoi. There are trains from Dong Dang at 06:00 (arriving Hanoi at 11:30) or at 13:35 (arriving Hanoi at 19:50). Frequent buses are also available. Dong Dang to Hanoi is 161 km (100 miles). Note: Please check Dong Dang - Hanoi train times locally, as these may have changed. fare about 36,000 dong (£2 or $4).
Hanoi-Kunming train service currently suspended...
There used to be a direct metre-gauge sleeper train from Hanoi to Kunming in China twice a week. Unfortunately, floods and landslides damaged the Chinese part of the line in May 2002 and this train is currently suspended, and likely to remain so for many years. Because of a shortage of funds for repair, it is not clear exactly when (or if) it will start running again, although there are reports that work on a new fast standard-gauge line will start at some point. In the meantime, use a sleeper bus to the frontier then a train to Hanoi as shown below.
Hanoi ► Kunming by sleeper train + sleeper bus...
While the train remains suspended, take an overnight train from Hanoi to Lao Cai - see the train times & fares above. Lao Cai is just 3km from the Chinese border. Use a local taxi to reach the border post and cross over to Hekou on the Chinese side. Passing through both sets of customs takes about an hour. Then travel overnight from Hekou to Kunming on one of several 'sleeper buses' (buses with sleeping-berths). One bus leaves at 19:00 and arrives in Kunming around 07:00, but there are earlier and maybe later departures. The bus fare is about 87 RMB. You may want stop off at Lao Cai to visit Sapa, 40km away, before going on into China.
Traveller Tom Finn reports: "The Hekou-Kunming sleeper bus was great, they drive like mad and you are a bit squashed but not too bad. The bus was boarded by police in a small town at around 1am. They took our passports and scowled at us for a while. Luckily they came back with the passports and we arrived safely in Kunming at around 7am the next morning." If you have any more information on this route please e-mail me..!
Kunming ► Hanoi by sleeper bus + sleeper train...
Southbound, take an overnight sleeper bus (a bus with sleeping-berths) from Kunming to Hekou on the Vietnamese frontier. There's also an earlier departure, and there maybe later ones. The bus fare is about 87 RMB. At Hekou, cross over the border to the Vietnamese side and use a taxi to get to Lao Cai 3km from the border post. Then use an overnight train from Lao Cai to Hanoi - see the train times & fares above. You may want stop off at Lao Cai to visit Sapa, 40km away, before going on to Hanoi. If you have any more information on this route please e-mail me..!
On board the Kunming-Vietnam sleeper bus...
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Above: The sleeper bus from Kunming to Hekou (for Lao Cai in Vietnam).
Photo courtesy of Tom Finn
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Above: The sleeper bus berths are not huge..!
Photo courtesy of Tom Finn.
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Saigon - Phnom Penh (- Bangkok)
There is no railway (as yet) between Saigon and Phnom Penh, a distance of some 250 km. However, there is a daily bus service, times shown below. Alternatively, a number of local tour operators run a river boat + bus service from Saigon to Phnom Penh, a very enjoyable way to travel between the two cities. For onward travel to Bangkok by a combination of Cambodian train, bus and Thai train, see the Cambodia page.
Saigon ► Phnom Penh
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Phnom Penh ► Saigon
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(Bus service)
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(Bus service)
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Depart Saigon:
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06:00
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Depart Phnom Penh:
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06:30
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Arrive Moc Bai (frontier, Vietnamese side)
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08:00
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Arrive Bavet (frontier Cambodian side)
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11:00
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Depart Bavet (frontier, Cambodian side)
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09:00
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Depart Moc Bai (frontier, Vietnamese side)
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12:00
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Arrive Phnom Penh:
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13:30
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Arrive Saigon:
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14:00
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The fare is about US$ 12. You must change buses and make your way across the frontier between Moc Bai and Bavet on foot. Visas are not issued at this frontier.
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