TRAIN IN VIETNAM Train travel info and tips to buy ticket by Threeland Travel

Useful country information• Train operator in Vietnam: http://www.vr.com.vn/trang-

chu.html • Time zone & dialing code: GMT+7 all year• Dial code: +84• Currency: £1 = approx 32,900 Dong. $1 = 20,500 Dong.• Tourist information:

http://vietnamtourism.com/e_pages/news/index.asp • Visas: Required by UK citizens. Vietnamese embassy visa

section, 12-14 Victoria Road, London W8 5RD, tel. 020 7937 3222, fax 020 7937 6108,www.vietnamembassy.org.uk.

Trains – best way to get around Vietnam

• Save expenses: ticket is cheap; sleeper trains save hotel bills

• Have a chance to sightseeing the landscape from the window, get the real insights of Vietnam

Types of train in Vietnam

• Air-conditioned soft sleepers• Air-conditioned hard sleepers• Air-conditioned soft seats• Air-conditioned hard seats• Ordinary hard seats• Livitrans private sleeping-cars, Hanoi to Hue &

Danang• Golden Trains, Saigon to Nha Trang

Air-conditioned soft sleepers

• The best trains: SE1/2/3/4• 4 berths/ compartment, each supplied with pillow, sheet,

duvet and an individual reading light.• Western-style toilet supplied with soap and toilet paper

at one or both ends of the corridor• Free water dispenser at the end of the corridor for both

boiling and cold water• On-train serving: snacks, coffee, soft drinks and beer

Air-conditioned hard sleepers

• Best choice for an overnight journey such as Hanoi to Hue with relatively little daytime element and most of the time in berth

• 6 berths/ compartment, lower, middle and top on each side

• Facilities: same as for soft sleepers in terms of power sockets, water dispenser, toilets, luggage space and meals.

Air-conditioned soft seats• Recommended for daytime journeys such as Hue to

Danang or Hanoi to Vinh

Air-conditioned hard seats

• Have wooden seats in modern air-conditioned cars

• A bit hard on the rear for a long journey, but perfectly acceptable for a few hours

Ordinary hard seats

• Wooden seats in much older cars without air-con

• Windows often open, which can be an advantage for photography

Livitrans private sleeping-cars, Hanoi to Hue & Danang

• Attached to SE1/SE2 between Hanoi, Hue and Danang

• 4-berth compartments of a better standard than the regular Vietnamese Railways sleepers, but cost more

• Fare included water and pot noodles, and there are electrical sockets for charging cameras and mobiles

Golden Trains, Saigon to Nha Trang

• Attached to the regular SNT1/SNT2 overnight train

How to buy train tickets

• Via a travel agency• At the station

Buy tickets via a travel agency• Cannot buy train tickets online from Vietnamese

Railways -> use a local Vietnamese train booking agency• Recommended agencies:• VietnamImpressive: www.vietnamimpressive.com • Vietnamstay.com (www.vietnamstay.com) only book

trains departing from Hanoi or Saigon, and not starting at intermediate stations.

• International Rail UK, arrange your Vietnamese train tickets by phone (0844 248 248 3) for people live in the UK, Ireland and Europe, lines open 09:00-17:00 Monday-Friday. From outside the UK +44 844 248 248 3.

• International Rail Australia: use the contact & booking form for people live in Australia, New Zealand, Asia or Africa. Book at least 7-10 days before travel to allow them to turn around your booking.

Buying tickets at the station

• In Saigon: buy at the city centre railway ticket agency at 275C Pham Ngu Lao

• In Hanoi: buy at Hanoi main station on Le Duan Street. Press a button on the box at the entrance to get a numbered queuing ticket. Take a seat, and watch the illuminated board above the ticket counters to see which counter to go to when your number comes up.

Tips for ticketing

• All tickets come printed with a specific date, specific train number, car number and your reserved seat or berth number. So you need a separate ticket for each individual train journey you make.

• Booking opens at least 60 days before departure, often more than 90 days before departure. Paying the small amount extra to pre-book tickets through a reliable agency before getting to Vietnam.

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Information was partly collected from The Man in Seat Sixty One 2013 © Threeland Travel, Lonely Planet, All right Reserved.

Head Office: 125 Hong Ha, Hanoi, VietnamTel: +84-4-3926-2056 | Fax: +84-4-3926-2058

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