Should you take the train from Saigon to Da Nang? This will depend greatly on your budget and quite simply how much you take trains. I personally love a good 16 hour train jaunt, but it is not for everyone.
As previously mentioned I have taken the train a lot in,China, Russia, North Korea and now to a lesser extent Thailand and Cambodia. These are all very different journeys, but there are certainly some standout ones such as the train to Hua Hin, Phnom Penh to Battambang and perhaps best of all Beijing to Pyongyang.
Taking the train in Vietnam has a lot of similarities with old school Chinese travel, although there are a few differences.
What is it like to take the train on Vietnam?
I will do a more encompassing article on this latter, but taking the train in Vietnam is dominated by the line known as the Reunification Express. This is the route that links Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City AKA Saigon. This is to such a degree that 180 of the 280 train stations are on this route.
The train itself is done simply and similar to Chinese old trains rather than the compacted class system of Thailand (communism anyone). In this instance this means you get hard seats, soft seats, 6 berth hard beds, as well as 4 north soft-beds. For Saigon to Danang this means $15-50 bottom to top class for the 15-16 hour journey.
How is the Saigon to Danang Train?
At $50 for a soft berth you kill two birds with one stone in that you cover transport and accommodation in one go. Yes flights can be as little as $30, but when you factor in the hotel and all the messing around the timing is not all they different. I also put you towards the fact that Saigon Airport is hell on earth.
Saigon Railway Station is very centrally located, has lots of provisions and even a Lotteria, meaning you can prep. Even if you do not prep though there are carts that do the rounds throughout your journey that offer hot and cold food, drinks, as well as fresh coffee. After all this iOS Vietnam.
And the journey Saigon to Da Nang?
While much of the journey is done at night, enough is done in the day to make it worth your while view wise and overall it is comfortable to a degree. I personally have loved in ships and spent a lot of time on trains, so sleeping is not an issue, but this is not the case for everyone at all.
As to what train you should get, I personally opted for the 7 pm arriving at mid day the next day, rather than the later one that is more in tune with arriving at a decent time in Nha Trang.
And really it can not be all that bad as Kim Jong Un almost took the train from Pyongyang all the way to Da Nang, before they opted for Hanoi instead.
So, if you like train travel then Saigon too Da Dang is affray unbeatable……