Different people search for different experiences when they travel. Be it shopping, wine tours, or music festivals, there’s something about being in a foreign country with cash to spare that makes us want to do the polar opposite of the mediocrity we may find back home. For us, there’s little point spending money flying thousands of miles for hours to miss out on the unique experiences of a foreign country.
So we booked a train.
Let’s not be misunderstood. With New Zealand’s growing infrastructure and our experiences travelling throughout the world it’s not as if we’ve never been on one before. However, we’d never come across the opportunity to ride a train overnight, with sleeper carriages and all. Of course, we’d had our fair share of exposure through movies and books, especially through our enjoyment of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express (though it isn’t admittedly a great means of promoting such an experience).
Still, with a price not too far off from a plane ticket, we figured that the 17-hour overnight journey from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang could also cover a night of accommodation. And as low-budget travellers working off our own money, it was good enough reason to book a trip.
Booking Tickets
We booked tickets off BaoLau, a website for purchasing tickets for travelling between cities, particularly in China and Southeast Asia. The process is fairly intuitive: select the city of departure and the destination, and the dates. Please note that when inputting the name of cities, they must be formatted correctly. In this case, the city of Da Nang is stylised as it would be spelled in Vietnamese, rather than the more commonly written “Danang” amongst English speakers.
On the results page, we deselected options for planes, buses, and boats. For this route, we were recommended by a local to take the SE4 train as it is newer compared to the rest. However, we did also note that is consistently more expensive by about ₫50,000 (US$2.15), but this wasn’t enough to deter us from a more comfortable experience. Of course, prices will also vary according to peak travel dates.
We had the option of seats, 4-berth, and 6-berth carriages, though in some trains, 2-berth carriages are also available. Generally, the bottom bunks are more popular, likely as the top bunk may be difficult to get to due to the awkward location of the foothold.
We’ve noticed a trend in which people tend to book two bottom bunks which we assume is in hopes of securing the whole cabin to themselves, but this cannot be guaranteed. We have also been informed that if you purchase the remaining bunks in your cabin, they may still be sold as empty places if train staff notice that they are available if people are in need of tickets. BaoLau also warns users that the operators may change your seat position at their convenience. Essentially, you can put any of these tips to use, but you have been warned.
From there, simply fill in your details to proceed to payment. Commonly, they accept credit cards, including American Express, and AliPay. PayPal is not a commonly accepted form of payment in Vietnam due to government restrictions on international money transfer. Then, as is normal, you will receive a confirmation email for the seats or bunks you have chosen, with an online boarding pass which we recommend downloading on your phone.
Including the service fee, our tickets from Saigon to Da Nang set us back just under đ2,000,000 (~US$85). Of course, the price will vary.
Boarding the Train
We’ll admit that we had difficulty identifying the announcement for our train. In our situation, we showed staff at the train station our digital boarding pass when an announcement was made around half an hour before the train was due to leave. This seemed to work, and we were directed to exit the station to board the trains at the platform.
There are ticket gates much like a subway station at which you will need to scan your boarding pass. Then, follow the signs to get to your designated train. In our case, it was the SE4. Then, according to the basic English available on the digital boarding pass, you will need to follow the signs to find your allocated place.
The Cabins and Facilities
Vietnamese people are not very large, and if you’re taller than around 165cm (5’5”), it may be very cramped. It is around the length of a double bed, and less than half the width. Each bed has a USB port and a light. Each cabin has a rubbish bin beneath the table, but there is not much space to store luggage than just wheeling it into the cabin.
Above the door there is an overhead space tall enough to fit a bag, though not a suitcase. It is fairly clean, though there are obvious patches of dust in the far corners where it is most difficult to reach.
The beds appear clean enough, though we noticed during the trip that when the family which we shared the cabin with left, the beds were only straightened up before it was occupied again by the next family. Throughout the trip from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang, we shared the cabin with 3 groups of occupants, and at no point the sheets were cleaned or replaced.
As such, we bring a warning to germophobes: cleanliness is not guaranteed.
Otherwise, for the average traveller looking for budget transport it isn’t all too bad. The cabins are air-conditioned to a comfortable temperature. As there were no distinct stains or smells, we chose to remain blissfully ignorant. Sometimes, it’s for the best.
One bathroom is located in each train. As expected, it isn’t the cleanest in the world, but it’s useable. Just be warned of splashes.
The Journey
Let it be said that there was no WiFi on board the train. That can be pretty telling of how one might find a 17-hour overnight train. Besides that, there is really not much else to say. We spent much of the time online with our tourist data SIM,
Each route will have several stops, but it isn’t difficult to figure out when to alight. There are electronic display boards in the hallway, as well as overhead announcements that relay the upcoming stops. Besides that, it’s really what you make of it.
Food on Board
On our journey, one meal was offered for around đ35,000 (US$1.50) at around 7.30am. This appeared to be supplied by an independent caterer and distributed during a stop to whoever paid rather than a meal cooked on board the train itself. It’s easy to miss if you’re not paying attention to staff offering meals. Don’t expect extravagance; we received a fair quantity of sticky rice and a piece of chicken, which was excessively salty, though enjoyable when consumed with the rice.
Besides this, we could not determine if there were other offers for food and drink on board. Our cabin companions were all well-prepared with food of their own, and luckily, we were as well. We would recommend you do the same, especially in the case of picky eaters or those with specific diets.
Getting Off the Train
We were on time, so following the overhead announcements were easy. I’ve heard that it’s much more common for trains to be delayed, so it might be necessary to stay alert to make sure you’re getting off at the right place.
Otherwise, once you’re off the train, it is very anticlimactic. All we had to do was catch one of the dozen Grab taxis lingering at the exit of the Da Nang train station and we were off.
It’s an easy trip to book, for those who are looking for it. In terms of pursuing this experience as a unique attraction, it’s up to the individual to decide. Our personal thoughts are that it’s not for a luxury traveller, or those who are short on time. Without a doubt, there are definitely better overnight experiences out there in the world, with more modern facilities and comfortable cabins. Possibly ones that let you shower so you don’t arrive at your destination with the stench of 24 hours of body sweat.
Still, it’s an option for those looking to save a bit of cash, and don’t mind spending the time virtually immobile. It’s definitely a memorable experience for those who have yet to do it.
Book tickets through the website:
www.BaoLau.com
