The Reunification Express of Vietnam has 6 different trains, moving schedulely between Ho Chi Minh City in the South and Ha Noi in the North. Seats ranging from sleeping cars, regular seats and soft seats,  Andrew Eames scratched down the fact that the regular seat is as soft as the soft seat. The railway was built in 1881, running mainly along the coast, in a 1,072 mile journey connecting Ha Noi to Ho Chi Minh City.

The Reunification Express (Photo: VNR)

Sleeper cabin (Photo: VNR)

According to Andrew Eames, although it is a 34-hour train journey, the route passes by key destinations such as Nha Trang, Hoi An, Da Nang, Hue. Visitors can choose several train sets either by daylight or after dark, to suit their itinerary. It is easy to book the ticket online and receive a confirmation voucher via phone.

The train Andrew Eames took from Ho Chi Minh City was the train set SE2. The first impression was the station is a bit crowded, yet having clean and well organised carriages with properly air conditioned.

Ho Chi Minh City

Selecting the hard sleeper, Andrew Eames was provided a thin mattress, a pillow, a sheet and a blanket. In his personal cabin, there is a light to read, a socket to recharge phones. Later on, he discovered that the soft sleeper cabins are quite popular for couples. The whole journey, the British reporter had a chance to make friends with his cabin mates and learn some travel tips from them.

Dragon Bridge Da Nang

The train dropped Andrew Eames at 4.15 in the morning at Nha Trang, which is, according to him, not so into his fancy. However, he had laid by the pool, enjoying the sunrise and amazing view of beach. His next train from Nha Trang to Da Nang was also an overnight trip. After a 30 minute cab ride, he reached the centre of Hoi An. Nha Trang was fairly empty of visitors while Hoi An was full of visitors from Asia and Europe, walking along the yellow-hue coloured houses by day and full of lantern-lit by night, indicated Andrew Eames.

Nha Trang Beach

Hoi An Ancient Town

A three-hour ride by daylight train took Andrew Eames to Hue, the former imperial capital of Vietnam. During the journey, Eames witnessed the majestic scenery when the train crossed the pass. In Hue, Eames rented a bike and paid a visit to royal tombs. At the end of the day, he casually relaxed by the Huong River.

Hue imperial palace by night

The last destination of his journey was Ha Noi, the capital city of Vietnam. It took him 14 hours on the train to reach the city. By that time, Eames was well used to sleeping on the train. Not to his liking, the train to Ha Noi does not have a dining car for him to sit down and enjoy a sociable evening meal. However, with the cost less than £40, it was such a precious train journey for Andrew Eames.

Hoan Kiem Lake – Ha Noi