Vietnam by train

[reader]

From South China Morning Post

See ever changing country from the Reunification Express on its 31-hour trip north to Hanoi

A train passes through lush North Vietnam. Photo: Alamy

• Effortlessly grasp the size, varied landscapes and cultural diversity of Vietnam by taking the train – you can stop off at the places you’d like to explore
• Nha Trang has a fabulous beach and diving, Hue has history, and Dong Hoi the world’s largest cave

Vietnam is long – extending 1,650km north to south – but only 50km across at its narrowest point. It includes stunning natural and architectural beauty that is best appreciated from the windows of the Reunification Express train – from the mountains of the north, to the endless miles of golden beaches in the middle, to the flat lushness of the Mekong Delta in the south.

While “express” is something of a misnomer – a non-stop journey between the two cities takes 31 hours – the train journey is a great way to understand Vietnam’s size, ever changing landscape and cultural diversity; thankfully, the trip can be split into shorter, more manageable shorter segments.

This it not only an economical way to travel, but is also a more environmentally sustainable travel experience, and a more interesting one as well, and many of Vietnam’s top attractions are within easy reach of stations along the route.

Ho Chi Minh City is the ideal place to start the journey. Its French-colonial architecture, museums about the conflicts of the last century, and spacious parks contrast with the glass-and-steel skyscrapers and construction work that is rapidly reshaping its skyline.

Trains leave from bustling Ga Saigon – the Vietnamese have made the French word for station, gare, their own. The metre-high portrait of Ho Chi Minh overlooking the waiting area is dwarfed by giant billboards for air conditioners amid the organised chaos of the waiting area – hundreds buying last-minute provisions, repacking voluminous luggage, and saying goodbye to loved ones.

Long-distance trains offer a variety of carriage options – from wooden seats to sleeping compartments with four or six beds, to a small number of two-bed VIP ones – and provide a more intimate and interesting travel experience than flying. It is the noisier option, though, as the combination of carriages rattling on old rails, food sellers hawking their boiled corn, snacks and drinks, and children playing mean that headphones or ear plugs are worth bringing to help with sleep.

Once the train leaves behind the sprawl of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam’s rural beauty is soon visible from the windows on both sides of the train – conical straw hats bobbing on the heads of workers tending rice fields alongside water buffalo and ancestral family shrines.

Continues with photos and maps

https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/travel-leisure/article/3018820/vietnam-train-see-ever-changing-country-reunification

 

[vinapu]

I second idea that going northbound from Saigon to Hanoi is better than other way ( southbound ) which I did way back in 2002. That way one has best part at the end of trip IMNSHO