Being cheaper than airplanes, safer than self-driving vehicles, and with no need to worry about traffic jams, while still being able to admire the beautiful scenery of nature passing through the windows, are the considerable advantages that are causing rail travel to become increasingly popular among tourists, especially young people. This is also a form of tourism that is predicted to develop into a trend, especially in the context of rising domestic airfares.
Vietnam's Reunification Express, or Vietnam’s north-south railway, was honoured as one of the most incredible rail trips in the world by the British travel guide Lonely Planet. (Photo: Lonely Planet)
While mentioning of the most beautiful train routes in Vietnam, one cannot ignore the impressive Da Nang - Hue journey, where tourists can admire the majestic and immense scenery of nature when passing through Hai Van Pass and Lang Co Bay; or the Saigon - Nha Trang route, where they can enjoy the poetic beauty of long and pristine beaches.
While passengers on the Da Lat - Trai Mat train route can immerse themselves in the flower fields, the rows of cherry blossom trees, the Muong Hoa Mountain train route, which runs to Sa Pa Town in Lao Cai Province, provides visitors with an opportunity to explore the wild beauty of the Hoang Lien Son range, and the villages of ethnic groups hidden in the fog.
Obviously, traveling by train offers visitors unique experiences that no other means of transport can compare to.
The most wonderful thing is that sometimes the best aspect it is not the destination but the journey itself. By following the rolling rhythm of the train on the rails, visitors can enjoy life at slower pace, leisurely observing the charm of nature as well as the lives of people in each land they pass through during the journey.
According to statistics from the Vietnam National Authority of Tourism, railway travel has seen positive developments. In 2023, the number of domestic and foreign holidaymakers travelling by train reached 10 million and 1.5 million, marking year-on-year increases of 15% and 20%, respectively.
This year’s April 30 - May 1 holiday witnessed a strong growth in the number of tourists traveling by train. A report from the Da Nang City Department of Tourism showed that during the five-day holiday, the number of tourists travelling to Da Nang by train reached more than 16,000, an increase of 60% over the same period in 2023.
Many other destinations such as Hue, Nha Trang and Hai Phong also recorded sharp increases in the number of train tourists.
Passengers on the Da Lat - Trai Mat train route can immerse themselves in the flower fields, the rows of cherry blossom trees (Photo: chiakiindalat)
In 2021, CNN named Vietage - a luxury train service through central Vietnam between Da Nang and Quy Nhon - among Asia's six most amazing journeys.
Launched by Anantara Hotels in 2020, the six-hour train ride carries no more than 12 passengers that runs through popular tourist hotspots in Da Nang, Hoi An, Quang Ngai and Quy Nhon.
“The scenery is as peaceful as it is lush: water buffaloes graze in wide-open fields, humble villages flit by and impossibly green fields beg to be photographed,” CNN stated.
“Onboard, marble tables, rattan screens and private booths evoke the romance of vintage rail travel,” it noted.
In 2022, Vietnam's Reunification Express, or Vietnam’s north-south railway, was named in the list of the 10 most impressive overnight train journeys in the world by The Travel Magazine of Canada.
The railway stretches for more than 1,726 kilometres between the country’s two biggest cities of Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City over the course of two days.
“Given how long and narrow the country is, a sleeper train is a great way to get from the northern capital city of Ha Noi to the southern city of Ho Chi Minh without riding on a motorbike,” says The Travel.
It notes that the sleeper train route is most suitable for budget travellers as it typically only costs around 26 USD for a journey that lasts between 32 and 37 hours.
In 2023, The Reunification Express was honoured as one of the most incredible rail trips in the world by the British travel guide Lonely Planet.
“Some railways rattle through historic cities; others swoosh beside spectacular coastlines. A few have epic histories, and one or two are remarkable for the colourful characters onboard. The Reunification Express line fulfils all these criteria,” said Lonely Planet.
These recognitions prove that train tourism is a potential market for Vietnam's hospitality sector, which can draw much interest from both domestic and international tourists.
The Vietage by Anantara afternoon tea - coastal view. Courtesy Anantara
According to Nguyen Cong Hoan, General Director of Flamingo Redtours, the increase in domestic airfares has led to a 10-15% increase in tour prices, forcing tourists to consider more carefully when choosing their means of transportation, and this has opened up opportunities for train tourism.
According to his analysis, a rail tour not only helps reduce prices but also increases experiences, because in recent years, railway services are significantly being improved, fully meeting the increasing needs of travellers.
There was a time when passenger transport suffered a dramatic decline due to fierce competition with low-cost airlines, the improvement of the highway system and the increase of self-driving cars.
However, in the past few years, the railway sector has made bold reform to upgrade and improve its infrastructure system and service quality to better serve passengers.
Specifically, many luxury trains have been put into operation, attracting a large number of tourists.
At the end of April, the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR) launched a luxury train service from Ho Chi Minh City to Da Nang.
The trains feature a fresh exterior paint scheme in white, grey and blue, and interiors have been redesigned to provide more spacious and comfortable accommodation. They also feature amenities such as Wi-Fi, air-conditioning, reading lights, charging ports, new mattresses, blankets, sheets, pillows, and curtains.
Previously, the VNR coordinated with the People's Committees of Thua Thien Hue Province and Da Nang City to put into operation the high-quality tourist train service SE19/20 named ‘Connecting Heritages in Central Region’, linking Hue City in the central province of Thua Thien Hue and with the nearby Da Nang City.
The launch of the train service is part of the project to develop a 5-star train tourism product across Vietnam that the VNR and Vietravel have co-worked with since the end of 2023.
The project allows train travellers to not only experience five-star quality trains but also explore the cultural values and long-standing history of localities they visit by participating in assorted cultural and arts activities.
According to experts, it is important to strengthen the cooperation between the railway and tourism industries to make train tourism an attractive option for holidaymakers by creating attractive products that not only meet passengers’ travel demands, but also bring unique tourist impressions to them.
Many opinions say that the railway stations themselves are unique architectural works and heritages, so further investment is needed in to make each station an impressive destination. Further efforts should also be made to enhance ground services such as transportation, sightseeing, and accommodation that can allow train passenger to enjoy their journey to the fullest.
Trang Anh - Translated by NDO