One of the World’s Greatest Trips! – January & February 2019
Since we were going to be in Vietnam a couple of months, we opted to travel by train as we headed from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, formerly known as Saigon. Vietnam Railways System operates the Reunification Express Train, which covers the distance of 1,726 kilometers and has an average speed of 55 kilometers/hour. We first learned about the Reunification rail line several years ago from National Geographic’s Journeys of a Lifetime, a book that contains pictures and descriptions of 500 of the world’s greatest trips. We had such a memorable experience riding the whole length of the Reunification Express Train from the north to the south! A much better adventure than flying.
All aboard!!
This Vietnam Railway line was originally built by the French in the early 1900’s and completed in 1936. Travel within the country became challenging again in 1954 when the rail line was severed because Vietnam divided into north and south. But the two parts were reunited in 1976 after almost two years of work to repair 1334 bridges, 27 tunnels, and 158 stations. And the Reunification Express Train has become an important symbol of unity for the Vietnamese people. Now travel from one end of the country to the other is fairly easy, but not necessarily speedy. Continuous travel on the this rail line from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City takes about 32 hours.
Just in case we need to exit quickly 
Placard to help passengers find their spot 
Logo for Vietnam Railways System
We divided our Reunification train ride into five parts, as listed below. For the longer portions of the trip we purchased tickets for the soft sleeper cars with four beds to a compartment. For the shorter sections we rode in the carriage with the soft seats, which weren’t very soft. At least all the carriages had air conditioning. The rail line was well staffed, so it was easy to find an employee if we needed help or had a question. And the staff was extremely helpful with putting our luggage on and off at the appropriate train stations. Most of our trains were on time or within a few minutes of the scheduled departure or arrival time. During our train rides we enjoyed looking out the windows to see the varied scenery, which included homes, pagodas, cemeteries, farmland, jungle, and coastline.
Interior hallway of sleeper car
The loudspeaker announcements in train stations were in both Vietnamese and English. We were intrigued by the wording of some of the announcements. Several of the memorable announcements in the Dong Hoi station: 1) The SE1 train scheduled to arrive in Dong Hoi at 8:04 has been delayed due to obstacles. It should arrive at 8:20. On behalf of the railway staff we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience and hope to receive your sympathy. 2) Passengers should calmly wait for the train to stop before boarding. 3) The train has been ordered to leave.
Railway logo on concrete bench in train station
Hanoi to Dong Hoi – 10 hours. Our friends Eric and Heidi joined us for this part of our railroad journey.
Susan and Eric are ready to start their ride from Hanoi to Dong Hoi 
Rice paddies seen from train window 
Farmland outside of Hanoi 
Beautiful scenery between Hanoi and Dong Hoi
Dong Hoi to Hue – 3 hours
Our train to Hue arrives in the Dong Hoi station.
Soft seat carriage 
Just waiting for the “order to leave” the Dong Hoi station.
Hue to Da Nang/Hoi An – 2 1/2 hours
Hue train station 
Waiting to depart from Hue 
When will our next train arrive? 
Our first glimpse of the Da Nang skyline from the train
Da Nang to Nha Trang – 9 1/2 hours
We have a sleeper car for this 9+ hour journey starting in the morning Da Nang. 
Our nighttime arrival in Nha Trang
Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh City (Saigon) – 7 1/2 hours
The countryside along the tracks looks quite different in the south. 
The view from the train window between Nha Trang and Saigon. 
At least we can take a nap on this 7-8 hour journey. 
This festive train was already at the HCM City station when our train arrived. 
We made it to Saigon! 
Do we want to hail a taxi or use Grab?
That’s a great experience. Good idea to break it up into sections.
Yes, doing the train trip in sections enabled us to easily visit many interesting places. And riding a train for 32 hours straight didn’t sound like much fun.