Rough Guide to Vietnam - Jan Dodd [18]
Note that departure times change regularly – current times are displayed in stations and on the tickets themselves – and that trains generally leave pretty much on schedule. You’ll also find timetables on the Vietnam Railway’s website, though it’s always wise to double-check at the station.
When it comes to choosing which class to travel in, it’s essential to aim high. At the bottom of the scale is a hard seat, which is just as it sounds, though bearable for shorter journeys; the carriages, however, tend to be filthy and there are few views since the windows are caged. Soft seats offer slightly more comfort, especially in the new air-conditioned carriages, some of which are double-decker. On overnight journeys, you’d be well advised to invest in a berth of some description, though since the country’s rolling stock is being upgraded it’s not always possible to know exactly what you’re getting. The new hard-berth compartments are now quite comfortable and have six bunks, three either side – the cramped top ones are the cheapest, and the bottom ones the priciest – though some of the old hard-as-nails relics remain in service. Roomier soft-berth compartments, containing only four bunks, are always comfortable.
All Reunification Express trains now have air-conditioning, as do the overnight Lao Cai trains which have been upgraded with soft-sleeper berths. All trains are theoretically non-smoking, though try telling the locals: in hard-seat class, even the guards will be puffing away.
Simple meals are often included in the price of the ticket, but you might want to stock up with goodies of your own. You’ll also have plenty of opportunities to buy snacks when the train pulls into stations – and from carts that ply the aisles.
Getting around | By rail |
Tickets
Booking ahead is wise, and the further ahead the better, especially if you intend travelling at the weekend or a holiday period. Sleeping compartments should be booked at least three days before departure, and even further ahead for soft-sleeper berths on the Hanoi–Hué and Hanoi–Lao Cai routes. It’s not possible to buy through tickets and break your journey en route; each journey requires you to buy a separate ticket from the point of departure.
Fares vary according to the class of travel and the train you take; as a rule of thumb, the faster the train, the more expensive it is. Prices (which are always quoted in dong) change regularly, but as an indication of the fare range, on the most expensive services from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City you’ll pay around 1,100,000đ for a soft-sleeper berth, and around 750,000đ for a hard sleeper in the slowest trains; the equivalent fares for Hanoi to Hué are 520,000đ and 250,000đ respectively. Prices to Lao Cai vary from 80,000đ for a hard seat on the day train to over 300,000đ for a soft sleeper.
Getting around |
By bus
Whilst Vietnam’s national bus network offers daily services between all the major towns, the lion’s share of tourist journeys are made on privately-operated services. These have air-conditioning, limited seating, fixed time-tables and don’t pick up on route, making them infinitely more comfortable than the national services. Most travellers use buses to get around Vietnam but never actually see a bus station, since these companies operate from their own offices. Competition between the companies is so fierce that prices are as low as the national bus network. Though some operators are more reliable than others, on the whole these buses are reasonably comfortable (but don’t expect much leg-room) and tend to run on time.
Most popular of all are the “open-tour” buses shuttling between the major tourist destinations. One-way through tickets, for example, from Ho Chi Minh City to Hué (around US$25) or Hanoi (US$35 and up), or vice versa, enable you to stop off at specified destinations en route: heading south to north, the main stops are Da Lat, Mui Ne, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hué and Ninh Binh. On the way buses also call at the occasional tourist sight, such as the Marble