The overnight train from Saigon to Da Nang took us through out transition from Day 3 to 4 of our Vietnam holiday. It was the Nanra’s first sleeper train and they all simply described it as “An Experience!!!”.
It was a 17 hour train trip arriving in Da Nang at 11:50am Monday morning. The scenery from the train on the Monday morning was rice fields and countryside…
…with the occasional pass through a local village…
The train itself was fairly average and unfortunately not that clean. Better to have long pants and a top so that you can sleep on top of the bed spread.
We were in the First Class Sleepers and in the corridor were men sitting on little stools for the entire 17 hour journey. It seemed like they had given the guard money to sit in the corridor. It also looked like the Guard had sold their bed spot at the end of the carriage as well – their were young kids sleeping in the guards spot.
Before getting on the train their were a few shops at Saigon Station where you could buy basic snacks – however, as there is no Dining Car, if you want something more substantial as a meal then you need to buy it before getting to the station.
The train does stop in the morning at a village and villagers run onto the train to sell you Baggett’s, Cheese and Coffee. This is a bit of a shock as they seem to be able to unlock your door from the corridor and then they stick their head into your compartment while you are sleeping. We did not know what was going on and so all yelled out together for the village to Get Out!!!
Arrival in Ga Da Nang saw us little rested but looking forward to getting to the Resort in Hoi An and relaxing on the beach.
