Global Wanderer

26/1/23 – 28/1/23

I had decided prior to coming on this trip that I wanted to experience train travel in Vietnam on what is commonly known as the Reunification Express – a train line which runs from Hanoi, the capital, and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City), the former capital of South Vietnam. Following the end of the Vietnam War, the railway line was re-joined at the border, and trains now run several times a day between the two cities.

My first train.

If you think that sounds like a short, peaceful train ride, you would be mistaken. Hanoi to Saigon takes just over 34 hours according to Vietnam Railways timetables, and from experience, these trains seem to be late arriving at their destinations. I had decided that 34 hours was a little bit too much in one hit, even for me, and so I broke the journey into two components – a 14 hour trip during the day from Hanoi to Hue, an overnight stay in Hue, and then a 24 hour overnight leg from Hue to Saigon. I figured that this would give me ample time to visit the former Imperial Citadel in Hue, whilst also getting to experience different aspects of the train journey.

Hanoi Railway Station – the ugly central building was erected following bomb damage to the original structure during the war.

I arrived at Ga Ha Noi (we love a French loan word!) for my 8:50am departure, and found my seat in the 2nd class seated carriage. The train was relatively empty to begin with, but as we stopped at various destinations, it began to fill up, to the point where people were sat in the aisles, and plastic chairs were placed at the ends of the carriage and in front of the doors for extra passengers. During the journey, I had two different seatmates. The first was a softly spoken Vietnamese student, who shared some of his rice balls with me – all well and good! I was not so lucky with my second seatmate, who replaced the first after he disembarked in his village. The second seatmate instantly took off his shoes and placed his bare feet on the seat in front of him, then proceeded to light a cigarette, whilst repeatedly clambering over me to shout at his relatives behind us. It was an incredibly unpleasant experience, and I was desperate to get off the train. Once we made it into Hue, I practically ran to the door of the carriage and leapt off the train like a madman!

Content Warning! Feet!

Once I arrived in Hue, I walked the 30 minutes from the station to my accommodation for the evening, Maika Guesthouse. Given I had arrived at 11:30pm, the only thing I could do once I arrived was fall fast asleep!

The next morning, I checked out, graciously accepted the owner’s offer to lock my bag up in the guesthouse, and headed into Hue. I wish I could say that Hue was wonderful, and the Imperial City fascinating, but in all honesty, the weather was incredibly shocking, and I spent most of the day darting in and out of cafes and pubs to avoid getting completely drenched. I did make it over to the Citadel, however, and had a chance to marvel at some of the old pagodas and buildings that made up the residences of the former emperors of Vietnam.

Eventually, by mid-afternoon, I had given up on trying to outrun the weather, and discovered a small microbrewery (Imperial Craft Bia). I set up shop there, counting down the few hours til my train whilst taste testing their immense variety of locally-brewed craft beers, eating deconstructed banh mi, and playing cards with the waitstaff. By far and away ended up being my favourite part of Hue!

Finally, the time came to head to the train station to catch my ride to Saigon. I trudged over with around half an hour to spare, and then waited an hour and a half for the train to arrive, because in Vietnam, the trains don’t arrive on time – lesson learnt! When it did finally pull into the station, I boarded, found my compartment, and settled into my bunk for what would end up being a train journey just shy of 26 hours!

My personal hidey-hole for 26 hours.

I had booked a ticket in the 1st class sleeper compartment, which consists of 4 beds, in a 2-2 configuration. Naively, I assumed this meant that 4 people would be sharing the compartment. I was surprised then, to find 9 other people in my cabin, a phenomenon which, following a short walk up and down the train, seemed to be replicated carriage-wide. If that wasn’t bad enough, there were also people asleep on the floor, in the aisle, and by the doorways. I assume that because I travelled at the end of the Tet holiday, the trains were busier than normal, but this was still on the extreme end of anything I’ve experienced. My one experience with the toilets on the train, all of which were slopping bowl water onto the floor, led me to abstain from all food and drink for the entire train journey, lest I be forced to use the toilet again. Despite all of the downsides, the compartment was more comfortable and easier to relax in that in the seat, and there was plenty of pretty countryside to marvel at as we passed through. Eventually, day turned into night once more, and around 26 hours after I had left Hue, the train finally creaked its way into Saigon railway station. I don’t think I’ve felt more relieved than that, knowing that I did not have to get on any more trains on this trip!