My inaugural Annie Wilcox Photography, travelling with a camera on the railways in Asia.  We have all seen the railway travel TV programmes and I finally got to cross this off my bucket list in Vietnam.  I can’t tell a lie, I was a bit apprehensive about what I was going to find having read some of the reviews.

I chose to use the train as I wanted to see more of the country, rather than fly and miss it.  I travelled 2 legs, Danang to Nha Trang, 525 kms, 10 hours (£20) and Nha Trang to Ho Chi Minh, 410 kms, 8 hours (£15).  Both tickets were for soft sleeper cabins.

I popped into the train station at Nha Trang when passing to get some shots for my blog.  The ladies in the hard seats were asking me to take their photograph which was lovely, and I duly obliged as you will see.  Seeing those carriages is why I comment later that I would only travel on the top ticket!

Carriage and seat numbers are clearly shown on your tickets and carriage numbers are placed on the doors when the train pulls into a station.  The door was locked on my first cabin, the crew unlocked it and it was clean bedding.  On my second leg, the carriage had been used and was slightly messy.  I made a quick tidy up (carry wet wipes!) and when the guard noticed he brought clean bedding straight away without being prompted.  My sense was he was being very apologetic in Vietnamese.

Toilets were much better than I anticipated, however, not for the feint hearted.  Get those thigh muscles exercised for hovering and balancing on a moving train.

The views were amazing all the way on both trips, the villages, mountains and coast too.  You can see the paddy field workers with the water buffalo and the aloe farms go for miles.  The scenery changes quite dramatically when you pull into some of the stations.  When you stop, locals walk up and down the platform and you can buy items through the window if you wish.

I took a few videos on the iPhone to show some of the scenery.  I don’t feel it does the beauty complete justice.  However, hopeful, you can get an insight into the fascinating journey.  Click here to view more of these on my Annie Wilcox Photography – travelling with a camera You Tube channel.

Train Tips:

• Buy tickets at railway stations in Vietnam.  You must take your passport and also cash, cards are not accepted.
• Booking your train tickets on line will cost you at least twice as much as getting locally.
• English can be very basic, write down the train journey you want to take; date / times / location from & to / type of seating.
• There are 4 types of seating available.  Hard seat (wooden bench), soft seat (cushioned recliner), hard sleeper (compartment with 6 bunks), soft berths (lockable compartment with 4 bunks, mattress and bedding).  I wouldnt book anything other than the soft berths personally.  A couple I met had booked 4 seats so they got the cabin to themselves.
• If you book a berth, ask for bottom ones, you will not get a view from up top and getting up there can be a challenge!
• Take you own food on the train.  Meals, drinks and snacks are available throughout, however, the meals didn’t appeal to me.
• Get to the train station at least one hour early.  It was a sharp wake up at Nha Trang when the train arrived 30 minutes early.  They don’t wait, they get the passengers off and on, then move on.  So make sure you are awake in plenty of time and have your gear ready to go.
• If getting a taxi to the station, have a screen shot of the name in Vietnamese available or show them on a map where you want to go.  English can be very limited in taxis.
• Carry a padlock with a cable if travelling alone so you can secure your bag if left.  I didn’t witness anything, however, have read some stories online.
• Take an overnight sleeper, which most of the trains are, if you are a budget traveller and want to save save on a night’s accommodation.
• You can have your motorbike crated and put on the train if this is how you are travelling.  I don’t have any further detail here, so you will need to investigate how this is arranged.
• A silk sleeping bag liner can be bought for a few pounds (GBP) at local markets just in case you don’t get clean bedding!
• Download the MAPS>ME app for your mobile device and follow your journey.  It can be used off line, so no expensive roaming charges.

If you want 5* travel, then train is not for you.  If you want to see the real Vietnam, beautiful scenery and local life with a few surprises thrown in, it is.  And, in short, I am so glad I travelled the Vietnamese Railway.