Schedules & Fares within Vietnam

Schedules & Fares within Vietnam

Schedules & Fares within Vietnam

There are many different types of schedules and fares for trains within Vietnam and the below links are just few that we have complied together.

Hanoi to HCMC/Saigon:

(4 - 5 trains daily; journey time between 30 and 40 hours; departures from Hanoi from 06:15 to 23:00)

HCMC/Saigon to Hanoi:

(4 - 5 trains daily; journey time between 30 and 40 hours; departures from Saigon from 06:30 to 23:00)

Hanoi to Lao Cai Train:

(5 trains daily; journey time between 8 and 10.5 hours; departures from Hanoi from 06:10 to 22:00 / departures from Lao Cai from 09:15 to 21:00)

Hanoi to Beijing:

2 times per week; departs from Hanoi on Tuesdays and Fridays at 08:10 / arrives in Beijing on Thursdays and Sundays at 12:08

Beijing to Hanoi:

2 times per week; departs from Beijing on Sundays and Thursdays at 15:45 / arrives in Hanoi on Tuesdays and Fridays at 18:30

Hanoi to Nanning:

Daily service; departs from Hanoi Gia Lam Station at 21:40 / arrives in Nanning at 10:12 the following day

Nanning to Hanoi:

Daily service; departs from Nanning at 18:20 / arrives in Hanoi Gia Lam Station at 04:45 the following day.

Where can I travel?

There are 3 major lines in Vietnam as follows:

Hanoi-HCMC/Saigon - this is the main route crossing the whole country from north to south
Hanoi-Lao Cai (for Sapa) - this is the route in the north west of the country, which eventually would lead towards Kunming in the Yunnan province in China
Hanoi-Dong Dang - this is the route to the north east of the country towards Nanning in the Guangxi province in China (and onward to Beijing)

Travelling along the main North and South route the most popular stops are Vinh, Dong Hoi, Hue, Da Nang, Dieu Tri (for Quy Nhon), Nha Trang, Muong Man (for Phan Thiet) and Ho Chi Minh City. Travelling by train in Vietnam should be seen as an experience as well as a mode of transport. Some tourists find it manageable, while some others find it uncomfortable - so it is up to you to decide!

The most popular route used by tourists however is the Hanoi-Lao Cai route, where various different private coaches & train companies are covering the route.

Vietnam Railways has two main types of trains on the North and South route, SE Express and TN, in which the latter are much faster and equipped with more modern coaches. Every train travelling along the main route Hanoi-HCMC/Saigon is also known as the 'Reunification Express'.

Trains SE1 to SE6 have air-conditioned restaurant cars and soft-sleeping berths with western toilet facilities. They have 3 classes: air-con soft sleeper, air-con hard sleeper and air-con soft seat. Some SE trains are attached with high-quality sleeping coaches run by private companies for tourists heading to Hue and Da Nang (i.e. Livitrans).

Trains TN1 & TN2 are older, slow and very basic with only hard sleepers and hard seats.

Trains TN3-TN10 have 6 classes: air-con soft sleepers, air-con hard sleepers, hard sleepers, air-con soft seats, soft seats & hard seats.

Livitrans coaches are newly built and attached at the back of some of the SE trains, but only between Hanoi to Hue & Da Nang. This service is considered one of the most comfortable on this route.

Hanoi-Lao Cai route (for Sapa)

The Hanoi-Lao Cai trains run every evening, departing from Hanoi Train Station at 120 Le Duan Street. Regular trains, with hard seats and hard sleepers run on this route, three run at night, and one during the day. Please be aware that the daytime route offers only hard seats, which for the 8 hours trip might not be the most comfortable way of travelling.

Night services on the other hand offers hard sleepers as well as soft sleepers, air-conditioned carriages and the choice between various companies, who offers better services specifically designed to tourists, attaching their private coaches (usually two, sometimes only one) to the regular services.

The route is extremely popular, Lao Cai being the nearest station (approx. 40 kms away) to Sapa. The following companies run the best night services in operation:

Victoria Express
Fanxipan Express
Sapaly Express
Livitrans Express
Tulico Express
Orient Express
King Express

International service - from Vietnam to China

The route from Hanoi to Dong Dang, in the northeast of the country, is also the main international route to China - to Nanning and Beijing. This route is served by the regular Vietnam Railway train, also known as 'Reunification Express', and operates as follows:

Hanoi-Nanning - daily overnight service departing from Hanoi Gia Lam Station (not the main station in Hanoi) at 21:40 and arriving in Nanning at 10:12 the following morning; each coach has 4 berth cabins with air condition, room for luggage and reading lamp.
Hanoi-Quilin-Zheng Zhou-Beijing - this service runs twice weekly from Hanoi 'B' station on Tran Quay Cap street, on Tuesday and Friday reaching Beijing after two nights travel; each coach provides 4 berth cabins with air condition, room for luggage and reading lamp. Departure time from Hanoi is 18:30, and arrival in Beijing is at 13:30 on day 3, stopping along the route in Quilin (14:09, day 2) and Zheng Zhou (05:56, day 3).

Meals onboard are available but they are not included in the ticket cost and need to be bought separately. There are no luxury services on this route, so we suggest not to set your expectations too high, aside the basic bed and a great rail journey to China capital!

Should you have any questions or would like to book rail tickets within Vietnam then please contact us and one of our agents will be in touch.

Please also note that all prices and information shown are subject to change at any time.

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