View Vietnam vistas through a carriage window

International Rail opens up Vietnam rail travel for travel trade

International Rail has announced a new partnership with Vietnam Railways allowing them to sell rail journeys within Vietnam through the travel trade and tourists to meet local travelers.

The new partnership will establish the railway as an easy and great value method for UK visitors to see and explore this beautiful country.

The new service will allow travel trade partners to work with International Rail in being able to view schedules and prices online as well as the instant booking of journeys through the International Rail call centre. Thus, guaranteeing their customers feel secure and confident in their rail bookings and of train travel being part of their Vietnam itinerary.

Said Rod Maton, chairman of International Rail, “Rail travel has always been a part of a trip to Vietnam but never before have UK visitors been able to research and book their tickets before they travel through their travel agent or tour operator.”

“The trains in Vietnam are an unforgettable experience and we urge our travel trade partners to start working with us in offering this great value mode of transport and allowing their customers to see so much more of this fantastic country.”

The railway system in Vietnam is owned and operated by the state-owned Vietnam Railways (Đường sắt Việt Nam). There are three major lines in Vietnam as follows:

• Hanoi-HCMC/Saigon – this is the main route crossing the whole country from north to south
• Hanoi-Lao Cai (for Sapa) – this is the route in the north west of the country, which eventually would lead towards Kunming in the Yunnan province in China
• Hanoi-Dong Dang – this is the route to the north east of the country towards Nanning in the Guangxi province in China (and onward to Beijing)

Every train travelling along the main route Hanoi-HCMC/Saigon is also known as the ‘Reunification Express’* and when travelling this main North to South route the most popular stops are Vinh, Dong Hoi, Hue, Da Nang, Dieu Tri (for Quy Nhon), Nha Trang, Muong Man (for Phan Thiet) and Ho Chi Minh City.

Prices start at £41 travelling in a 6-berth couchette cabin.

For visitors, the most popular route tends to be the Hanoi-Lao Cai route (for Sapa), which can be travelled either at night, when three services operate or in the day. The journey takes eight hours and the day time service can be quite lengthy as no sleepers are available.

 Night services on the other hand offer sleepers, air-conditioned carriages and the choice between various companies. Some of these companies have services specifically designed for tourists and so attach their private coaches to the regular trains and so offer an even more comfortable experience.

Visitors to www.internationalrail.com can find details of all of the services available on this route and how to book.  Prices start at £13 travelling in a 6-berth couchette cabin on a regular train.

Alternatively, visitors can take the Hanoi-Dong Dang route for international services from Vietnam to China, so take the route from Hanoi to Dong Dang, in the northeast of the country and then onwards to Nanning and Beijing.

To reach Nanning, visitors take the Hanoi-Nanning daily overnight service departing from Hanoi at 21:40 and arriving in Nanning at 09:00 the following morning; each coach has four berth cabins with air conditioning, room for luggage and reading lamps. Prices start at £30 per person.

To get to Beijing, there is a twice weekly service which runs from Hanoi and reaches Beijing after two nights of travelling. Guests travel in four berth cabins with air-conditioning, room for luggage and a reading lamp and prices start at £250 per person.

To find out more information on travelling by train in Vietnam please visit http://www.internationalrail.com/vietnam.aspx

Valere Tjolle: Valere is editor of the Sustainable Tourism Report Suite 2011 Special Offers HERE