Taking a Sleeper Train in Vietnam - Here is everything you need to know!

Sleeper Trains are very popular means of transportation in Vietnam. Among tourists, they are somewhat of an attraction and often-times viewed as a bucket list experience not to miss out on while travelling Vietnam. For us personally, the latter was definitely the case!

If you are reading this, then you are likely thinking about taking a sleeper train as well. However, you are looking for a bit more information on what taking a sleeper train is like before making your final decision. Either way, you have come to the right place.

In this post, we cover everything from the logistics of taking a sleeper train in Vietnam to what the trains are actually like. We tell you what to watch out for while booking and share a few essentials you should most definitely prepare before boarding your train!

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Table of Contents

A Complete Guide to Sleeper Trains in Vietnam!

Vietnam is huge. Especially, if you intend to travel its whole length from South to North or vice-versa! To give you a bit more context: a drive from Hanoi all the way down south to Ho Chi Minh City takes approximately 26 hours and covers a distance of 1.687 kilometres on the road!

When comparing this to Europe, you could roughly travel from Paris to Lisbon with such a distance – albeit the latter would take 10 hours less of your time when compared to the trip from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City😆.

So it is actually no wonder that Vietnam came up with some interesting transportation options when it comes to getting people places – locals and tourists alike. In this quick guide we will take a closer look at Vietnam’s Sleeper Trains. What are the most interesting routes for travellers? What essentials should you bring? Let’s find out!

View onto a vendor sellling things while driving past in a sleeper train.

The front of a sleeper train currently driving thorugh the famous narrow train street in Vietnam

Vietnam Sleeper Train Routes – Where can you travel by Sleeper Train?

Vietnam’s Sleeper Trains essentially operate on two main routes.

The first one, and probably the most well-known route, links Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City – also known as the Reunification Express – thus covering basically the whole length of Vietnam and passing a great many stations and destinations (among them e.g. Nha Trang, Da Nang, and Hue) along the way.
The second train route can take you from Hanoi all the way up North to Lao Cai and is commonly used by tourists to get to Sapa.

Now, it is important to know that each route is frequented by a number of different trains. All trains are operated by Vietnam Railways, Vietnam’s state-owned railway company. However, most trains do not only consist of Vietnam Railways carriages. They usually also journey with a number of privately-owned carriages from various other companies (e.g. Lotus Train, Charmy Express, Chapa Train, etc.). The latter are mostly catered towards tourists and will offer a more luxurious and comfortable (albeit slightly more expensive) experience when compared to their state-owned peers. Depending on what exact section of the route you wish to journey on by train, the types of carriages available will vary.

A map of Vietnam highlighting the different cities the sleeper train departs from and arrives to.

✅ The Most Popular Sleeper Train Routes for Travellers

Down below you’ll find a list of popular Vietnam Sleeper Train sections. We also give you further information on the duration of each section, the train companies operating carriages on them, some additional things to watch out for when booking as well as our personal recommendations at the end.

Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang

Duration: 19 hours.
Available Carriages: Vietnam Railways.
Check options via 12 Go Asia*.

Night view from a cafe to one of the entrances of thanh market. — *Ho Chi Minh City at night.*

Passengers boarding the sleeper train. — *Passengers on their way to board the Sleeper Train.*

This section of the route is a great way to travel from South Vietnam to Central Vietnam in one go and therefore a good alternative for those of you that do not wish to fly.

Make sure to book the train that leaves in the evening. That way you still have the full day to explore Ho Chi Minh City before making your way to the train station after dinner. Get your night’s rest on the train and catch the sunrise over stunning rural as well as coastal landscapes the next morning. Somewhere around 3 p.m. you will reach Da Nang, from where you can easily make your way to Hoi An.

This is the sleeper train section that we personally chose to go on during our time in Vietnam. And it was quite an enjoyable one. I will say though, we booked a 2 berth cabin (on their VIP car) for this trip, so it was only the two of us for the entire journey. This particular cabin however seems to currently be unavailable. So if you were hoping for a cabin that sleeps 2 instead of 4 people, you might want to consider one of the other overnight train journeys.

Rice field view during the sunrise — *Sunrise over the rice fields of Southern Vietnam.*

Baots lining up in the Hoi An canal. — *Boats moored in the charming river canal of Hoi An.*

Ho Chi Minh City to Nha Trang (& vice-versa)

Duration: 8 hours.
Available Carriages: Vietnam Railways & Charmy Express.
Check options via 12 Go Asia*.

If you are not quite ready to leave the South of Vietnam yet, then consider making your way to Nha Trang from Ho Chi Minh City. Nha Trang is well-known as a beach destination with its top attractions being island hopping, snorkelling and spending time on its fine-sand beaches. From here you can also make your way to Da Lat (~3 hours by bus).

Do know that if you decide to embark on this particular train journey over night, then you probably won’t get to see much along the way as the train will journey mostly through the dark.

Hanoi to Da Nang (& vice-versa)

Duration: 17 hours.
Available Carriages: Lotus Train, Laman Express, Violette Trains, Charmy Express, Vietnam Railways, etc.
Check options via 12 Go Asia*.

Travelling from Hanoi to Da Nang or vice-versa on the sleeper train is quite a popular route for travellers as it is an easy way to make your way from North Vietnam to Central Vietnam (or vice-versa) in one go. And, again, a good alternative for those of you that do not wish to fly. The train leaving Hanoi will do so around 7-8 p.m. and will thus reach Da Nang at around 11 a.m. the following day.

Hanoi Old Town Gates — *Old Town of Hanoi.*

Passage of the cloud pass named after he clouds which often hang around on high elevation in the forest. — *Journey through the Cloud Pass on our way from Da Nang to Hue.*

The latter is great since you will be able to marvel at one of the most beautiful stretches of this train journey – the Cloud Pass or Hai Van Pass (a mountainous stretch in between Hue and Da Nang) while it is light out!

Hue to Ninh Binh (& vice-versa)

Duration: 12 hours.
Available Carriages: Lotus Train, Laman Express, Violette Trains, Vietnam Railways, etc.
Check options via 12 Go Asia*

While taking an overnight train is a great way to travel in between North and Central Vietnam (as stated in the previous section), you should be aware that by travelling from Hanoi all the way down to Da Nang in one go you are going to miss out on two of the best destinations in all of Vietnam: Hue and Ninh Binh.

However, fret not. Because, taking a Sleeper Train between Hue and Ninh Binh is an option as well! One we would personally recommend even more so than taking a direct train between Hanoi and Da Nang!

*The stunning landscape Ninh Binh is famous for.*

*Entrance to a hidden temple nestled in between the hills of Ninh Binh.*

Hanoi to Lao Cai & vice-versa

Duration: 8 hours.
Available Carriages: Chapa Express, Fanxipan Express, Laman Express, etc.
Check options via 12 Go Asia*

Overall, this one is probably the most popular Sleeper Train route among tourists as it is a unique way to get to Sapa. When journeying from Hanoi to Lao Cai, trains leave somewhere between 10-11 p.m. and arrive in Lao Cai the next morning around 6 a.m. When making your way from Lao Cai back to Hanoi, there is one train journeying over-night and one leaving midday.

Do know that Sapa is located another 45-minutes by bus (up a winding mountain road) from Lao Cai. Usually you can book your transfer from Lao Cai to Sapa with the same company you are booking your overnight cabin with.

Among the companies operating on this train route, Chapa Express is the most popular one. In Lao Cai Station they even have a lounge where you can e.g. take a shower, relax for a bit after arriving and/or eat breakfast (for 150.000VND which are ~5€/6$).

View of the rice fields during a hike in Sapa — *Stunning rice terraces and surrounding mountains of Sapa.*

Green Landscape of Sapa with a lot of rice fields and some houses mixed inbetween — *View from the gondola taking you up to the top of Fansipan Mountain, Vietnam’s highest mountain!*

🌟 The Best Sleeper Train Routes – Our Personal Recommendations

If we had to choose all over again what Sleeper Train to go on while planning our Vietnam Itinerary, our choice would likely fall on one of the following three options:

Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang* with Vietnam Railways. Price: ~60€/70$ p.P. for a First Class Sleeper Cabin (4x).
Hue to Ninh Binh* with Lotus Train. Price: ~60€/70$ p.P. for a VIP Sleeper 4x Cabin or ~120€/140$ p.P. for a VIP 2 Berth Cabin.
Hanoi to Lao Cai* with Chapa Express. Price: ~60€/70$ p.P. for a Deluxe Sleeper 4x Cabin or ~140€/160$ p.P. for a VIP Cabin 2x.

*VIP Cabin 2x on the Chapa Express (Image via 12GoAsia).*

Note: If you don’t know what’s the difference between a VIP Sleeper 4x Cabin and a VIP Cabin 2x – don’t worry, we will go into more detail on the different types of cabin further down below.

⚠️ What to watch out for when booking your overnight train experience

While taking an overnight train in Vietnam can be quite a fun experience, there are a few things we wanted to mention that might sour your experience. Knowing about them means you can avoid them. So let’s find out what you should watch out for when booking your trip.

1. Make sure not to arrive at your destination in the middle of the night.

Since Sleeper Trains journey through the night, they naturally also stop at a number of stations during the night. However, when booking your own train journey, we would recommend choosing a train whose schedule allows you to arrive at your destination during the day.

Why? Well, you won’t be able to call a Grab during the night and the taxi drivers waiting for you are probably going to overcharge you quite drastically knowing that you have no other option than to go with them. The latter happened to us in Ninh Binh at 4 a.m. after a sleeper bus dropped us and a few other weary travellers at the wrong spot🙃.

A woman walking to board the sleeper train in Vietnam. — *We boarded while it was already dark out, however it was actually still quite early in the evening (somewhere between 7-8 p.m).*

Nightview of a shop during a nightly stop at a station with the sleeper train in vietnam. — *Train stopping at a station in the middle of the night.*

2. Only book a cabin on a Vietnam Railways carriage if you depart from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City.

We were told that the bedding on the Vietnam Railways carriages gets changed only at their departure and arrival station – meaning, fresh sheets are only going to be put on the beds in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. So, if you travel with them from e.g. Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City, then chances are high someone has already slept in your bed somewhere between Hanoi and Da Nang.

If, like us, you think this is a big no, then make sure to only book a cabin on a Vietnam Railways carriage if you depart from Hanoi or Ho Chi Minh City. If your departure point is neither of the two, maybe opt for one of the privately-owned carriages.

Note: Since only carriages operated by Vietnam Railways service the route section between Da Nang and Nha Trang, we would not necessarily recommend taking the sleeper train when travelling from Da Nang to Ho Chi Minh City specifically. Except of course if this is something you don’t care about.

3. Don’t travel by train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City in one go.

We would not necessarily recommend travelling in one go from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi (or vice-versa). While in theory this may sound like a fun idea, this particular journey will take you nearly two full days and by the end of it you are probably going to be over it by a long way.

For the purpose of experiencing the Sleeper Train, spending one night on it will be plenty. But, at the end of the day, to each their own;).

Where to buy your Tickets for Vietnam’s Sleeper Train

The most convenient platform to book your Sleeper Train Tickets on is 12 Go Asia*. Why? Well, when searching the parameters for a specific journey, they instantly provide you with an overview of all your options: the various companies operating on this specific stretch, what types of cabins they offer plus their varying price points and the train schedules.

Book Your Sleeper Train Experience via 12 Go Asia!*

Picture of the 12Go Asia Website showcasing how to book a sleeper train in Vietnam. — *Screenshot of a sample search for a Sleeper Train Journey from Hanoi to Lao Cai via 12 Go Asia.*

Alternatively, you’ll have to search the websites of each company individually, which is going to be way more time consuming. However, it can be done and while it may demand more of your time, it may occasionally save you a few dollars.

If the latter is the way you prefer to do things, then I would recommend starting by checking the official Vietnam Railways website. They provide an English version of their website, which is still mostly in Vietnamese😆. However the most important bits of text will be translated to English.

🎫 Do I need to buy my tickets in advance? If yes, how far in advance?

The answer to this question is quite simple: Yes, we generally recommend booking your train tickets in advance! How far in advance will depend on what you are looking for. If you are set on booking a cabin with only two berths, 1-2 months in advance is a good measure. Cabins that only sleep 2 people tend to be booked out the quickest.

If you are looking to book a cabin that sleeps 4 people, you may have more wiggle room. Especially if you DON’T travel during peak tourist season, on weekends or during national holidays. In that case we would even encourage booking a tad more last minute. Because, booking only a few days or 1-2 weeks prior to your trip may get you the same cabin for only a fraction of the price. However, again, with the added risk that your preferred train company or cabin type may be booked out.

Interior of a sleeper train in Vietnam with two beds and a small table in between. — *First look at our Vietnam Railways 2x Sleeper Cabin upon boarding in Ho Chi Minh City.*

At the end of the day, it depends on how set you are on booking a specific cabin from a specific company or if you are more flexible when it comes to cabin choice.

What are Vietnamese Sleeper Trains Like?

But, what are overnight trains in Vietnam even like? In this section, we will tackle all your question surrounding the layout and comforts (or lack thereof) of Vietnam’s famous Sleeper Trains. Is there food on board? What are the cabins like? Are there western toilets? And so much more!

🛏️ Quick Overview of the types of cabins on a Sleeper Train

Since the topic of this post is Vietnam’s Sleeper Train, we will focus on the different types of cabins that actually have berths/beds. Do know that each train also has several carriages where there will be standard seats. You can book the latter for overnight journeys as well. We would not necessarily recommend it though.

The sleeper cabins can most easily be distinguished by looking at how many people each cabin sleeps. As such, you can choose between three types of cabins:

6x Sleeper Cabin, with 3 beds on each side, i.e. 6 beds per cabin total,
4x Sleeper Cabin, with 2 beds on each side, i.e. 4 beds per cabin total, or
2x Sleeper Cabin, with 1 bed on each side, i.e. 2 beds per cabin total.

*4x Sleeper Cabin by Vietnam Railways (Image via 12GoAsia).*

*6x Sleeper Cabin by Vietnam Railways (Image via 12GoAsia).*

However, depending on what carriage operator you are going with, there may be quite substantial differences in the design and comforts of the cabins, even if on the surface they are the same type of cabin. In other words, sleeping in a 4x Sleeper Cabin operated by Vietnam Railways will quite likely feel less luxurious when compared to sleeping in a 4x Sleeper Cabin operated by Chapa Express.

Also, it may be good to know that Vietnam Railways is actually the only company that offers 6x Sleeper Cabins. Most other companies will offer a variety of 4x Sleeper and 2x Sleeper Cabin options.

❓ FAQ about Vietnam’s Sleeper Trains

A: This one highly depends on you and your ability to sleep in bumpy (and potentially loud) environments. Because, that’s what sleeping on an overnight train in Vietnam is going to feel like. Vietnam’s railway system is quite old, which is why train rides are not always smooth. Some stretches are smoother than others, however no matter how luxurious your cabin, it is still going to be located on a train and as such you cannot avoid the motions and noises related to that.

Additionally, if you book a shared cabin with strangers, do expect some degree of movement even during the night. Some passengers may get off and new ones on, even at 3 a.m.!

A: Yes, there is AC. Personally, we had more issues with being too cold rather than too hot. Since the AC cannot be controlled for each cabin individually, make sure to bring a jacket and/or a scarf if you tend to get cold quickly.

A: Each train carriage will have at least one toilet, which is shared with all passengers sleeping in the same carriage as you. The carriage we ended up travelling in had two toilets, one at each end of the carriage. One was a western toilet, the other one a squat toilet.

When it comes to the cleanliness, your experience may vary drastically depending on the company you are travelling with. If, like us, you choose Vietnam Railways, then let’s just say: don’t expect too much or better even, prepare for the worst😆. There also may be no toilet paper so make sure to bring some yourself.

A: In general they do, however don’t rely too heavily on this fact. The connection tends to be unreliable and often times weak. We would advise you download your entertainment (or anything else you may need during your journey) prior to getting on the train.

A: Yes, in general there is food available on the train. Usually in the form of a trolley cart going around, selling snacks, instant noodles and drinks. However, the selection is quite meagre. So you may find yourself with not that many appealing options. As such we would advise bringing a few snacks yourself, just in case.

Depending on the type of cabin you booked (and the company), there may be snacks or even a meal included in your ticket price. If snacks are included they will usually be provided upon arrival on the table of your cabin. Personally, we had a meal included in our ticket price, which ended up being a bowl of Pho.

While the quantity/quality of the snacks provided may be different depending on the company you book with, in general we would recommend to not expect anything too fancy. Your included snacks may very well be a bag of chips and a bottle of water;).

A: Personally, there was no instant where we did not feel safe while onboard. However, we also did travel as a couple and stayed in our private 2x Sleeper Cabin most of the time. In other words, we cannot speak for someone who may be travelling solo or staying in a cabin with strangers.

From what we gathered from other travellers, the general consensus seems to be though that it is relatively safe. Whether you personally will feel safe in this particular setting is of course also quite subjective. If you apply your standard travel precautions (i.e. be aware of your surroundings and keep an eye on your personal belongings), you should be fine though.

A: Yes, there are latches which allow you to lock your cabin from the inside. If it is only you and your travel party in one cabin, then we suggest using the lock during the night for peace of mind. We certainly did so. If you are sharing a cabin with strangers this may be more tricky though.

The pho served in the sleeper train Vip 2 people cabin. — *Bowl of Pho served as our breakfast.*

Countryside view from the window of the sleeper train in Vietnam with palm trees and rice fields. — *Stunning countryside views from the Sleeper Train window.*

Essentials to bring on the Sleeper Train

Down below you can find a short list of things we would deem essential to bring on your next journey on one of Vietnam’s famous Sleeper Trains. Some of these items are a MUST no matter what cabin you booked. Others are more useful in specific scenarios. Let’s have a look, shall we?

🔌 Power Plug Adapter. Train cabins may have USB outlets as well as standard sockets. So, do make sure to have your power plug adapter at hand in case you need it.
💶 Cash. As mentioned in our Vietnam Travel Checklist, payment by cash is often the preferred or only way of payment. If you intend to buy something from e.g. the food cart, make sure to have cash on you.
📖 Entertainment. Whether that be a book, a show you download prior to the train journey, music or something else, do prepare a way to pass your time while on the train!
🍘 Snacks. We would recommend bringing your own snacks for this trip. While available, the snack selection on the train is quite limited.
🧻 Toilet Paper. This will depend on the company you book your cabin with, however if your train carriage is operated by Vietnam Railways it is very likely that toilets won’t have toilet paper.
🧼 Wet Towels. Generally there is no way to wash yourself on the train, which is why it may come in handy to have some wet towels on you. That way you are able to freshen up at least a little bit the next morning.
💤 Light Sleeping Bag Liner. If you are worried about the cleanliness of the trains, you can bring a sleeping bag liner. They do not take up too much space and may make your journey more comfortable.

*The state of our cabin after spending nearly 13 hours in it. We were happy that we downloaded enough entertainment beforehand.*

Taking a Sleeper Train in Vietnam – Final Thoughts

Taking a Sleeper Train in Vietnam is not only a great bucket list experience, but also an exciting and alternative way to travel big distance in Vietnam. So, if you need to make your way e.g. from Vietnam’s South/North to Central Vietnam, we highly recommend considering taking a Sleeper Train instead of flying at least once! Especially, if time and your itinerary allow you to!

We hope with this post we managed to answer most of your questions related to taking a Sleeper Train in Vietnam! If there are any, feel free to leave your remaining questions in the comments down below.

Save this post for later if your trip isn’t for another while! And, finally, we wish you safe and happy travels!🍀

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