Incredible 1,072-mile train journey that connects 17.8m people by rail | World | News
Millions of tourists, from backpackers to beachgoers, head to Vietnam every year. In 2023 alone, the country welcomed 12.6 million international visitors, according to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam.
One way that allows holidaymakers to explore the country from north to south is the Reunification Express – a train service connecting the two largest cities in Vietnam while making several other stops along the way.
The Reunification Express is described by its provider Vietnam Railways as a “great, fun way to travel”, taking its customers from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi and beyond, through the border with China.
This service, the name of which refers to the reunification of North and South Vietnam following the war, runs on the North-South Railway Line and also offers overnight services.
The four types of fares on offer range from hard seats, the cheapest, to soft berths, the most expensive and comfortable, which consist of bunk beds in shared cabins.
While it has the potential of connecting some 17.8 million people – with Ho Chi Minh City counting more than 9.3 million residents and Hanoi 8.5 million, not many tourists in the country take advantage of the Reunification Express, according to a report by the Washington Post.
Detailing her experience with this service last year, Natalie B. Compton wrote in the US news outlet: “As its website says, ‘it’s not the Orient Express’ — or Vietnam’s luxurious new 12-seat Vietage train — but rather the everyman’s sleeper train used mainly by locals, though you’ll also find some foreign travelers”.
The train rattles through some historic cities in Vietnam and its spectacular coastline, stopping at Da Nang and Hue among other stations.
The 1072-mile-long Reunification Express, which would take two days to be crossed in its entirety, is only one of the train services available in Vietnam.
Another, more popular among foreign travellers, is the Lotus Express Train.
Launched in June 2019, it specialises in the Hanoi to Hue – Da Nang route, according to the Vietnam Railways website, and offers cabins with either two or four beds each, all equipped with WiFi, complimentary coffee and snacks and air conditioning.
