It is no wonder that an incredible train journey spanning 34 hours and 1,100 miles which takes you through two of the most amazing cities has been voted one of the most epic train journeys in the world by Lonely Planet.
The Reunification Express is the unofficial name for one of the most celebrated train journeys in the world that runs between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Otherwise known as the North-South Railway the amazing route passes through the Hai Van Pass, Lang Co Peninsula, and Vân Phong Bay.
Visitors can also expect to see views of rice fields, jungles, lumberyards and you can even catch a glimpse of the sea between the thatched houses.
Vietnam’s government website says you’ll see “beaches, mountains, jungles, wetlands and cities” along the way.
Passengers who embark on the full length of this train journey must not be warned by the word express as express it is not – the line covers a whopping 178 train stations, with Vietnam Railways only having 276 stations in total.
Described by its provider Vietnam Railways as a “great, fun way to travel”, the line starts in Ho Chi Minh City, the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 10 million.
Although the long journey may sound like a slog passengers are invited to embrace the beauty of rail travel as the train rumbles through rural countryside and coastal paths.
Two of the train’s major stops which it rattles through are Nha Trang, a coastal resort city in southern Vietnam known for its golden sand beaches and palm trees and Da Nang, the commercial and educational center of Central Vietnam.
The train will also stop at Hue – the former capital of Vietnam in the feudal times. Hue is packed full of ancient history, with pagodas, mausoleums, citadels and a UNESCO-protected Imperial City among its mix. The city is clustered around the Perfume River and is the southernmost coastal city in the North Central Coast region
There are five classes of travel onboard to choose from: hard seat, soft seat, six-berth hard sleeper, four-berth soft sleeper, and two-berth VIP on a select handful of trains.
