Vietnam’s LONGEST Train Journey: Saigon to Hanoi

Vietnam’s LONGEST Train Journey: Saigon to Hanoi

This Video is in Partnership with Baolau. Today we’re back in Vietnam to 
ride the longest train journey in the country – from Saigon to 
Hanoi over the next 2 nights! We’ll be in a private sleeper room for 
this 1,700km journey – and will experience the interesting food and stunning views on the 
railway that reunited a country – so let’s go! I’ve had an amazing 5 days 
staying in Ho Chi Minh City, or Saigon as it was and still 
is known as by most locals. There’s loads to do in and 
around Vietnam’s largest city, which has a population of 3.5 million people. I did a wonderful walking tour around the 
French-colonial central area and learnt so much about the history of this beautiful 
and friendly Southeast Asian Country. Anyway, fast forward to the next evening and 
after a nice dinner in the famous ‘Pub Street’, I call a grab taxi, and head over to the station. This took around 20 minutes due to very heavy 
traffic – just look at all these scooters! I make it to Ga Sài Gòn, the main 
station in the city around 1 hour before tonight’s scheduled departure time of 7pm. We will be riding the full length of the 
‘Reunification Railway’, which links all major cities and population centres up to 7 times a day 
in each direction, throughout the day and night. The trains pass through every type 
of scenery that Vietnam has to offer, from rice paddies and farmlands, to mountains 
and coasts – it’s quite the stunning ride! The main concourse is a hive 
of activity with passengers starting to gather for this evening’s departures. There are quite a few shops and fast food outlets, 
along with many seating areas and toilets. There is also a staffed ticket 
office, but you’re going to want to book your tickets online, especially 
for sleeper rooms, as they do sell out. Once boarding is called, you need to queue 
up at these doors for a cursory ticket check, an then are allowed through to the platforms. This board which will tell you where to head for your train – and be prepared for a bit 
of a walk, as these trains are LONG. We’ll be hauled by this Vietnam Railways D19E. These Chinese built diesel locomotives 
have a top speed of 120km/h (75mph). Trailing is a mix of seated and sleeper 
accommodations with coach numbers being displayed on little signs by the doors. 
We’ll check them all out in due course. There are attendants at every 
door to check your tickets or point you in the right direction if you’re lost. OK, let’s board! My coach for 
the next 2 nights in Number 6. It is pretty much level from platform to 
train, with just a small gamp to cross. Unfortunately, there are no dedicated accessible rooms or toilets onboard and 
the corridors are quite narrow. And here is my room – one of the 4-berth 
sleeper compartments, which is the highest class of regular service travel. I’ve 
booked private occupancy for this trip. Before we get going, let’s check out 
the epic route for the next 2 days. We depart from Saigon and head north, 
broadly following Vietnam’s east coast, making multiple stops, before arriving 
very early in Hanoi two mornings later. We leave pretty much on-time, 
at just after 7pm on Day 1. The full route is 1,723km (1,071mi) 
and is scheduled to take 34 hours and 40 minutes of travel time, 
arriving at 5.40am on Day 3. The price of my ticket in this 4-berth 
room was just over 2 million Vietnamese Dong (£58, €67, $78) including all 
taxes and fees – which I believe is excellent value – especially 
if you’re travelling in a group. If you’re in a couple, or even alone, you will 
have to buy all 4 beds to get a private room, or else you will be sharing with other passengers. Even at 8.2 million Dong (£233, €267, $313) – this 
is still good value for the near 35 hour trip. Obviously this trip is about 
the experience of the journey, and not the speed – and I’m well aware 
most people will NOT do it in one go. In fact, I worked my way down from Hanoi, 
stopping at various places en-route, and was using this service to get back to 
the north, and cross in to China by land. I found the best way to book these tickets 
is to use Baolau – where you can easily check and compare all options for 
various routes all around Asia. You can filter by mode of travel, and then 
sort by price or departure time – and even see information and photos on the specific 
accomodation or operator that you will be taking. Free seat selection from a seating plan 
is also available for many journeys. Once you’ve made your selection, just 
enter your details, make payment by any international credit or debit card and the 
tickets will be emailed directly to you! Click my link above, or in the description below 
to purchase your tickets with Baolau today! OK, as there’s not much to see out the window now, 
let’s check out my private 4-berth compartment. The door can be locked, but from the inside only. Above the door are the controls for the 
announcements, which can be turned off, and also the room lights and only power socket. The beds come with a fairly 
soft mattress, a bottom sheet, a blanket and a pillow in a 
case. All bedding was clean. There are decent curtains at the window 
which can be velcroid in the middle. Each bunk is also equipped with 
personal reading lights and coat hooks and its’s my first time seeing 
a thermometer in a train room before! The fixed, central table is very sturdy, and 
not too wide so it doesn’t encroach on the beds. Storage for your deckchairs, or 
suitcases is available under the bottom bunks or above the door, where 
there are also additional sheets. The top bunks can be accessed using these fold-out steps – and are pretty much 
the same as the bottom ones. The room is air conditioned, which worked well! Overall, a very good room. Clean and comfortable! No WiFi is available, and the 4G signal is 
intermittent – so I’d recommend downloading some films or series, or bringing some games, 
a pack of cards or a book to occupy yourself. At the ends of every coach are a couple of sinks, 
with running water and soap, and a large bin bag. There is also a hot water dispenser with 
cups to make your own hot drinks or noodles. You can bring these with you or 
buy them from the roaming trolley service – along with other snacks and cold drinks. Anyway, it’s getting late so I’m going to 
settle down for the night – see you tomorrow! Good morning! I wake up as we are arriving at in Diêu Trì 
after a good 8 and a half hours of sleep. The bed was comfy, and I think I only 
woke up once when we were at a station. We have now travelled 632km (393mi) since 
we left Saigon around 12 hours ago – this train may be called the Reunification 
Express, but it is definitely NOT fast. However, the Vietnamese government 
has recently approved a 350km/h (217mph) capable high-speed rail 
service between Hanoi and Saigon. This would cut the current journey time 
from 35 hours, to around 6. This will be game-changing for Vietnam, with construction due 
to start in 2027 and I wish them all the best! OK, let’s now check out the toilets… There are two in every coach, with one being 
Asian style… and the other Western style. Neither were particularly clean, but at least 
the water worked, and soap was available. The was no toilet paper, just a bum gun, so if you’re not good with those, 
you will want to bring your own. This railway is very much a 
freight operation too – with the overall volumes moved along this 
line growing steadily year over year. This currently stands at around 
10 million tons per year, having doubled since the start of the century. One of the biggest impracticalities currently 
though is that much of the route is single track, with only relatively short passing loops, which 
limits the length of freight trains right now. Once the high-speed passenger line is inaugurated, it is hoped that the capacity that 
this will open up on the conventional line will allow cargo operations to rival 
current road freight up and down Vietnam. Despite these pretty good passenger 
train services – buses still rule the intercity travel scene in the country. I’d like to try a few out next 
time I’m back – so are there any you’d recommend? Leave me a comment below! To try and get more international, higher 
spending tourists to travel by rail, private companies now run coaches on various 
services offering bespoke luxury cabins. To see my review of Violette Trains from 
Hanoi to Hue, click the link above now. Other problems with this line is that there is 
just so much aging infrastructure to maintain. There are over 1,300 bridges in total, with most dating from before the 
Vietnam War, over 50 years ago. There are also 3,600 level crossing 
on the line. This one here is in the minority with over 80% of them being 
completely unguarded or unprotected. OK, let’s go and check out the 
other classes on the train. The only other sleeper accommodation 
is these 6-berth rooms. They are basically the same as mine, but with two additional beds – which 
makes it much more cramped in here. This one is also a slightly newer carriage, which 
has been fitted with USB ports at each bunk. Other than this, they are 
basically the same as the 4-berth rooms. The beds and bedding are the same. Then, there’s the seated coaches. They 
are laid out in a 2+2 configuration, and have a good recline and legroom. However, these are meant for shorter 
journeys – however you can book them for the whole trip – if you’re clinically insane. For the $25 difference in price to the 6-berth sleeper on this 35 hour trip – 
I’m taking the bed every time. Now, here’s the dining car… This serves a small selection of freshly 
cooked Vietnamese hot meals. These were maybe not of the best quality – 
but there were certainly cheap. I had an omelette, rice and green 
beans along with a Pepsi max. The total price was just 60,000 
Dong (£1.71, €1.98, $2.29). It’s also nice to have a 
change of scenery from my room, and have a stretch of my legs 
on this multi-day journey. We are now on the approach to the Da Nang 
municipality, which is home to around 3 million people, making it the largest in Central 
Vietnam, and forth largest in the country overall. Da Nang is located around half way thorough 
the journey, right on the East Vietnam Sea, which is part of the Greater South China Sea. Vietnam’s railways use metre gauge track, which 
is another factor restricting the improvement of services, as speeds cannot be safely increased 
by much, even if the tracks were in A1 condition. This narrow gauge network is a legacy of French colonial times dating back as far 
as 1890 with the first line to China Then, over the following 4 decades this 1,700km 
Hanoi to Saigon line was slowly constructed, with it not being fully operational until 1936. We arrive in Da Nang, pretty much on 
time – so far, so good on this trip! There is a scheduled 15 minute stop 
here for a crew change and water top up, so you have time to buy some food and drinks 
from the platform vendors if you want. From Da Nang you can visit the 
stunning ancient town of Hoi An, or the world famous Golden Hands 
Bridge at the Ba Na Hills Resort. The next 100km (62mi) stretch between Da Nang 
and Hue is the most scenic we’ll see – with some breath-taking coastal #TrainWindowViews as the 
line hugs the cliff side for much of the route. If you want AD-FREE early access to every 
video, great perks and to help me to do BIGGER & BETTER reviews, then become a 
Channel Member from just £1.99 per month. Just click the link above now, or the 
join button in every video, thank you! As we head inland on the approach to Hue, the Ngu Binh Mountains are also visible 
off to the left side. There are some great hikes to be done around here – something I 
plan to do next time I’m back in the area. Hue is most famous for the 250 year old Imperial 
Citadel – which is one of Vietnam’s Top 5 most visited attractions – and well worth a visit. 
I’ve been twice now and loved every second! This is a very popular stop 
with many people both boarding and alighting the train – around 12 
people just in our carriage alone. On departure, we cross the Perfume River. 
This is so-called because in autumn time, flowers fall in from many orchards upriver 
giving off a perfume-like aroma as they pass. As well as being able to visit the dining 
car whenever you want, at mealtimes the staff bring a selection of hot food, snacks 
and drinks through the train for purchase. This time I had a potato thing, an 
omelette, some rice and bean sprouts. This whole meal cost 70,000 Dong 
(£2.01, €2.33, $2.67) including the bottle of water. Payment is by 
cash only for everything on board. The sun is now starting to set as we enter 
the final 11 hours of this epic journey. Throughout the evening we call 
at many more station, exchanging passengers and seeing what a lifeline 
this train service is for the locals. I’ve now headed back to the dining car, 
and was pleasantly surprised to find they had Tiger Beer for just 30,000 
Dong (£2.01, €2.33, $2.67) per can. Unfortunately, it was warm, so 
I did the Southeast Asian thing and had it with some ice. Don’t judge me guys! And after a couple of these I headed 
back to my room for some chill time, and to settle down for the night, as we 
have an obnoxiously early start tomorrow. Well, good morning from the outskirts of Hanoi! Again, I slept well and even though it might seem a bit of a bumpy ride – 
it didn’t seem to bother me! Theis city is already full of 
life, even at this early hour. We are now approaching the famous 
‘Train Street’ where tourists gather at the cafés which line the tracks 
inches from the passing trains. I’ll show you a clip I shot a 
few evenings later as it gives a much better impression of just 
how CRAZY an experience this is! Anyway, we are now approaching Hanoi Station 
and the end of this multi day journey, so let me summarise the experience of travelling non-stop from Saigon with Vietnam 
Railways in a private compartment. While it is obviously not the most comfortable, 
cleanest or certainly fastest sleeper train that exists – it is excellent value 
for money, all things considered. Obviously if speed is of the 
essence, then you would just fly, but getting to experience all the 
beautiful sights from the windows, meet many of the friendly locals, and to 
travel for over 1,700km across 3 days from the South to the North of Vietnam made for 
an absolutely amazing and memorable trip! After 34 hours and 40 minutes of travelling – 
we arrive at Ga Hanoi on-time, to the minute! Have you been on any trains in 
Southeast Asia before? If so, which ones and on which routes? How did you 
find them? Let me know in the comments below! I’m always open to new video ideas, so if you 
have something you’d like to see on the channel, then drop me DM on Instagram, BlueSky or Twitter. Don’t forget to subscribe, thanks for watching 
to the end, and I’ll see you in the next video!

Easily book GREAT VALUE Asian Flights, Trains, Buses & Ferries in Asia with my Baolau Link: https://www.baolau.com/?source=nonstopeurotrip

Today we’re taking the LONGEST Train Journey in Vietnam!

We’ll explore all the details onboard the Reunification Express from Saigon to Hanoi, travelling in a private room on a train service that reunited the nation – so come along with me and let’s check it out together!

#Vietnam #VietnamRailways #Saigon #Hanoi #ReunificationExpress #TrainWindowViews

Date of Filming: 1 to 3/4/25
Camera: GoPro Hero 12 Black
Operator: Vietnam Railways
Departure: Saigon, Vietnam
Arrival: Hanoi, Vietnam
Cost: 2.05m Vietnamese Dong (£58, €67, $78) Per Bed

To check out my review of the Private ‘Violet Trains’ Luxury operated cabins on this route, click here:

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00:00 – Intro
01:28 – Arrival at Saigon Station & Tour
03:02 – Boarding & Train Info
04:45 – Route Info, Departure & Pricing
06:10 – Baolau: Book Asian Train, Planes, Buses & Ferries
06:55 – Private 4-Berth Room Tour
09:18 – Day 2 Sunrise
10:30 – The Future of Vietnam Intercity Rail
12:28 – Ongoing Issues with this Line
13:22 – Train Tour
14:25 – Onboard Dining Options
15:15 – Calling at Da Nang
17:12 – The Best #TrainWindowViews on the route
18:25 – Calling at Hue & Perfume River
19:58 – Dinner on the Final Evening
21:30 – Train Street Hanoi!
22:32 – Trip Summary
23:15 – Arrival & Outro