The North–South Railway in Vietnam connects the capital Hanoi in the north to Ho Chi Minh City in the south. It is 1,726 km long. Sometimes, this line is called The Reunification Express – it’s because the railway was cut when Vietnam was divided into north and south (in 1954) and later resumed unifying the country once more (1976). Altogether, there are eight UNESCO world heritage sites in Vietnam.
Me and my two friends (Mathe and Sonja) traveled across the country with one stop – approximately in half of the way – in Hoi An. The sleeping train becomes our temporary hotel. We tried to sleep during the night and observe the scenery during the day.
If you are looking to spend some more time in Vietnam, check out the detailed post by fellow blogger where she shares detailed info about one month in Vietnam. It is really a great idea to spend more time in this country. Traveling in Vietnam is indeed an enriching experience.
The weather was a bit foggy most of time, but this did not take away any of the beauty. For the most part, the railway follows the coastline of Vietnam and we have seen some amazing rice fields and rural areas on the way.
In this photo essay, I would like to share with you the views from the train and also few behind the scenes photos of the train. Enjoy!
Practical Tips:
Keep in mind that you will need visa to travel to Vietnam. I visited it from Taiwan and it was rather uneasy. I had to find and visit Vietnam embassy two times – first to apply for the visa and second time to pick them up. It was quite time-consuming. But I got good news for you – don’t have to waste this time
I highly recommend to get visa on arrival. You can get them via https://www.vietnam-visa.com/, the #1 visa provider with over 10-year experience in Vietnam. It is safe and you can arrange it from home.
If you are already visiting Hanoi, it is definitely worth to take a day trip to Halong Bay. I did it at it was an amazing experience. I could imagine spending even multiple days there. There is more information about choosing the right Halong Bay Cruise, find more info here.
PS: If you plan to visit Vietnam, consider joining one of the trips with Vietnam Tonkin Travel, they have lots of interesting tours for northern Vietnam and Halong Bay.
In this post, a fellow blogger tells you how to spend 3 weeks in Vietnam.
PS: If you like my photos, I also invite you to like my Facebook page.
Veronika Tomanova is the founder of award-winning solo female travel blog Veronika’s Adventure, featuring travel tips, guides and stories from around the world. She is from Czech Republic and has been to 30+ countries.
5 Comments. Leave new
Hi Veronika – We love traveling by train and this is a route we would like to take in Vietnam. There is something about that fraction of a glimpse into life as you go by that is so fascinating and your photos capture just enough to personify that intrigue.
This just confirms that I really want to go to Vietnam.
I don’t get to do it very often, but I love train travel! Your pictures are gorgeous–I think I need to put Vietnam on my bucket list now.
I have yet to take a train ride quite like this. Looks like a perfect way to see the countryside. The photos truly tell the story. Thanks for sharing them makes me want to visit Vietnam again.