The island's daily routine starts at the bustling marketplace, where squid, crabs, clams, rambutans, plantains, mangos, dragonfruit and lotus flowers are piled for sale outside. Inside, young soldiers in jungle greens sit at the food stalls on low plastic chairs, gulping down breakfasts of bun rieu (crab noodle soup) or bun thit nuong (char-grilled pork with vermicelli noodles) while the morning sun floods the doorway. By 9 am, the food is sold out and by noon the market is deserted.

Read more: Best time to da lat vietnam

For money wise travelers, it is convenient to use the air-conditioned trains which are secure, comfortable, and cheap. The use of trains can make you see the beautiful places in the area at ground level. When you visit Vietnam, it is suggested that you should journey around in trains because it provides you a better viewing experience. On the train journey, you might encounter some friendly Vietnamese and see picturesque views for eye pleasure.

One common misconception of new travelers is that using internal flights saves more time than the travel by train more specifically from Hanoi to Hue. However, this is not true because an overnight train can apparently save you time because the train leaves from Hanoi at night and arrives in Hue the following morning. More so, taking trains offer a real Vietnamese experience while flying on airplanes gives you a squandered opportunity. Taking flights consume an average of 5 hours from your allotted sightseeing schedule. Plus, there are more hassles along the way, like getting to a distant airport, checking in, getting your bags, and returning to the city center.

Vietnam train Why trains are the best mode of transport in Vietnam?

One advantage of getting into trains is you can save for a hotel bill. In a sleeper train, it allows you to sleep and rest while you get on to your next city destination. A sleeper train can make you stretch your legs and give you a sound sleep in a swap of a more expensive hostel or cheap hotel. As compared to other road vehicles, like cars and buses, trains are more comfortable and budget friendly. One important thing to consider when taking a sleeper train is you should be not easily get annoyed by minor unforeseen events. You should welcome any surprises as well.

Another benefit of traveling by train is the captivating views that you can see while on transit. Vietnam has more than 3,260 kilometers of amazing coastline which can be clearly viewed in the train carriage windows. If you want to meet the beauty of the country, take a train travel up the coast. More specifically, take notice in the tour from Hue to Danang where it presents one of the most attractive sceneries in the region. The train advances along the South China Sea, moving from cliff to forest-covered cliff. It also passes on beaches and islands, then, goes through the abundant mountains to arrive Danang.

The cost of tickets differs depending on the train. Tickets cost more if trains are very fast. Children who are aged below two years old are free of charge. On the other hand, children between the age of 4 to 9 years old can get a discount on the ticket price. This makes it convenient for those who want to travel to Vietnam with their children. Not only they will save money for transport in Vietnam, they can also introduce their children to a different culture and appreciate the wonders of nature as shown by Vietnam’s coastline and forests.

1. Why Train Travel?

Although inter provincial buses system and especially domestic flights have been massively meliorated in recent years to reach numerous destinations in Vietnam, train is still a popular and favorite option for many travellers and people when they are required or desire to get to other regions. It is not totally sure that why there are still a huge number of people prefer travelling by trains, and the reason for this choice is greatly diverse from these travellers.

Train Travel Tips

For a majority of train passengers in Vietnam, the reason that they choose to travel by railways rather than other kinds of transportation is because this type of travelling is truly budgeted and affordable to them. The fact is that fare for train ticket can be regarded as identical to normal inter provincial buses, and if compared to price for flights, train tickets are far cheaper with only about a half or 1/3 based on routes. Flying takes 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. And the sleeper train saves a hotel bill, too.

However, low cost is not only the reason to travel by this transport. Many people who are affordable to travel by other methods still use train for their trip. The magnificent thing is that in various regions along rail route from the North to South, railways systems cross or even through mountains, forests, valleys, plain and sea which have incredibly breathtaking and tempting sceneries. Also, the speeds of the train is quite slow, so travellers are able to enjoy the spectacular view outside the train’s windows, take some pictures or videos and remain memorable moments on their trips.

Safety is also another reason to choose railway to travel. Railway system in Vietnam has been reconstructed and developed significantly in recent year to adapt new innovation in railway industry in the world, so that safety conditions of these trains are much better than before. Moreover as mentioned above, train is not a speedy transport, in addition to the truth that there is only one train on one railway, there for accident rate for train is miniscule.

2. Railways System in Vietnam

The rail way system in Vietnam was established a hundred year ago by the French colonist, and then reconstructed and further meliorated by the Vietnamese government after the Reunification in 1975. The Vietnamese railway system now has the total length of about 2.600km; connects almost cities and provinces all over Vietnam, including many cultural, societal and tourism destinations from the North to the South of Vietnam.

Travellers can buy a ticket to get in a train in Vietnam by many ways. The first traditional method is to buy directly at the train stations. The best method is to book online by websites, you should plan your schedule and guarantee your tickets in advance.

3. Train Travel Tips

Train Travel In Vietnam Train Travel In Vietnam 

TICKET TYPES

– Hard-seat refers to the ticket option of hard non-armchair seat, with air-conditioner in cabin.

– Soft-seat refers to the ticket option of soft non-armchair seat, with air-conditioner in cabin.

– Hard-berth refers to the ticket option of hard bed on a cabin, shared with 3 or 5 other people

– Soft-berth refers to the ticket option of soft bed on a cabin, shared with 3 or 5 other people

– 4 berth-cabin refers to the cabin where 4 people share one cabin, which 4 berths in each cabin

Vietnam train hard seat Train Travel In Vietnam Vietnam train soft seats Train Travel In Vietnam

Hard sleeper Train Travel In Vietnam Vietnam train soft sleeper1 Train Travel In Vietnam

A refreshment trolley 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 VND35,000 (£1 or USD1.60).

A set meal with mineral water will then be delivered to your compartment around half an hour later from the kitchen car.

Vietnam Railways is the owner of Vietnam’s railway system, which was built during the 1880s – in the time of the French colonial rule – and runs a total of 1,600 miles. Vietnam Railways primarily uses a metre gauge. However, in the North areas of the country, there are also mixed gauge and standard gauge lines.

The key route of this line is a 1,072-mile single track (the North-South Railway line).  It runs between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi. There are also lines that run to the People’s Republic of China from Hanoi, which also go to Beijing and areas in and around Hanoi.

 The History Of Vietnam Railways

The History Of Vietnam Railways The History Of Vietnam Railways  

Soon after the first railways were set up, including a tram that ran from the ports of Saigon and Cholon and a regional railway that linked MỹTho with Saigon, construction of the railway took off (between 1897 and 1902 during Paul Doumer’s administration as Governor-General of French Indochina).

During this time period, the North-South and Yunnan-Vietnam railways were started. It took more than 30 years for the construction of North-South line, with operations kicking off in 1936. The other branch lines were wrapped up during this time.  At the start of the Second World War, various groups targeted the Vietnam railways. During the Vietnam War, these groups included the South Vietnamese and South Vietnamese troops.

While the main lines of the North-South line were restored in a rapid pace and back in service, many branch lines were abandoned and dismantled after the conflict had ended.  The infrastructure of these lines was used to fix the main lines’ damaged areas or became scrap material.

During the late 1980s, the DoiMoi reforms led to an increase in economic growth, which pushed the Vietnam railways system into a new development phase. The official development assistance proposed or had put into motion several big projects.  This includes an array of projects to better railway and bridge safety on the North-South Railway line, networks to Laos and Cambodia and the restoration of several obsolete lines like the Da La-Thap Cham railway, which was set up during the 1930s.

Another proposal for a high-speed rail link between Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi was also proposed. This link would decrease the travel time from 30 hours to about six hours. Ground has also been broke on a Vietnam Railway line from Savannakhet to Lao Bao, adjacent to the Thai Railhead to Bangkok.

Like any other reason on taking trains when travelling to foreign countries, looking at the picturesque views of the countryside is the reason why travelling by train in Vietnam is desired. This great opportunity can’t be made when you are taking flights. It also costs less when travelling especially on an overnight train because you get to save some budget hotel bills while still giving you the same comfort in a night.

It is not enough to rely on information provided online by travel agencies. To make sure that you get your desired train reservations, ask the person to whom you are buying the tickets whether the kind of train you want to reserve possess the desired seats or sleepers you want. There are instances where the seats you have expected are not what they actually seem when you actually get on the train.

Travelling by train in Vietnam What You Need to Learn When Travelling By Train in Vietnam

It is also ideal to bring in small luggage and bags because the designated storage area is too small to accommodate large packages. What is amazing on the seats of the train is they can actually be reclined. This is very comfortable when you want to take a nap while travelling. There is an available food cart which moves constantly along the corridors that cater all sorts of food and beverages for those who are hungry.

Train in Vietnam

If you like to travel comfortably by train, always choose a soft sleeper because it has a larger space for bags, good comfortable beds, and a larger cabin good for four persons. If you travel together with your family, chose to book for the lower bunk because it keeps your kids safe from falling on the floor if you let them sleep in the upper bunk. Moreover, you get a small table where you can do your work and eat your meals extravagantly.

When purchasing a train ticket online, always confirm with the person selling the ticket on what you have read on their site. In this way, you will be sure on what you will be getting when you will be boarding a train of your choice. Confirming on what you have read online also assures you on what to expect. In the event that you have not booked any tickets yet when you reached Vietnam, ask your hotel to buy the train tickets for you. This is more reliable than getting help from tourist outlets. The extra cost in arranging for a train ticket only comes from delivery. Thus, no other charge aside from delivery expenses must be added in your train ticket booking from a hotel you are staying.  To make sure that you do not get hungry, it is better to bring some food with you for the travel. Although there was abundant food available in the first two legs, there was little food left when you reached the third leg of your train journey. So, to save you from getting cranky on food while on the journey, pack on food.