Trains, private transfers and boat crossings, chosen and timed around the rest of your trip. Some journeys in Vietnam are worth doing slowly, like the coastal railway over the Hai Van Pass, and some are best handled by a driver who is simply waiting when you land. We arrange both, and make sure the timings actually join up.
Vietnam’s railway runs almost the full length of the country, and on a few stretches it beats every other way of getting about. The line between Hue and Da Nang is the famous one, curving along the mountainside above the sea as it crosses the Hai Van Pass. Overnight sleepers link Hanoi with the northern mountains and with central Vietnam, turning a travel day into a night’s sleep and saving you a hotel.
We will also tell you when the train is not the answer. It is slower than flying over long distances, and a few routes finish short of where you are actually going, so the last leg is by road. Where that is the case we say so plainly and arrange the transfer to meet you.
For most connections, a private car with a driver is the easiest thing in the world. It is door to door, your luggage is handled, and you leave when you want rather than when a timetable says so. It matters most on the longer runs, on arrival after a long flight, and for anyone travelling with children, a lot of luggage or a cruise to catch.
We choose every driver and vehicle on merit rather than commission, and we build the transfers into the itinerary so there is never a gap where you are standing outside a station wondering what happens next.
Most long hops are done by air, but the train is often the nicer option on the scenic stretches, above all between Hue and Da Nang. Shorter connections are usually best done by private car, which is door to door and takes the stress out of luggage and timing. Our guide to getting around Vietnam compares them all.
On the right stretch, very much so. The Hue to Da Nang run over the Hai Van Pass is one of the most scenic rail journeys in Asia, and an overnight sleeper can save you a hotel night. On other routes a short flight or a private car is the better use of your time.
Yes. Airport pickups, intercity transfers and the road legs that connect to a train or a boat are all part of what we plan, so there is a driver waiting rather than a taxi to negotiate when you land.
That is how most of our travellers do it. We time the trains, transfers and cruise boarding around each other so the days actually join up, as part of a tailor-made itinerary.
Rail services are reserved, with a confirmed train, carriage and seat or berth on your ticket, and timings are reconfirmed before your travel date. Because seats are limited on the better carriages, the scenic and sleeper services are worth booking early.
The sleeper services between Hanoi and the north-west mountains, and between Hanoi and central Vietnam, run overnight with a choice of private cabins or berths in a shared compartment. We are adding these to the site now.
We’ll put the trains, transfers and boats in the right order, timed around your cruise and your flights, and run the whole trip for you from arrival to departure.
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