Sleeper Trains in Vietnam including Schedules 2024-2025 all in details:
There is no doubt that sleeper trains are the most favorite transportation of many people when traveling long distances because they are cheaper and more comfortable than long trips in a small car or bus.
When you are planning to travel in Vietnam, you should read this article as an useful reference.
Vietnam is an extended country and the best way to cover its long distances is to travel by train, as it is cheap and allows tourists to have a glance at the beautiful sceneries of Vietnam along the way.
The sleeper trains in Vietnam are cheap, comfortable, safe and affordable means of transportation, helping travelers to reduce fatigue when traveling long distances. Most of the Vietnam sleeper trains are now set up Wi-Fi (the connection speeds are not so well).
Choosing sleeper trains help you save accommodation fees and travel time because a lot of trains are operated at night. There are two main ticket classes on regular sleeper trains in Vietnam: hard berth and soft berth. Furthermore, there are hard and soft seats on the Reunification Express Trains – the public trains from the North down to the South of Vietnam.
Hard berth: More suitable for short-distance traveling, the hard berth is the type that you would lie in a bunk bed, which is made of iron with one thin mattress.
Regularly on most of the hard berth class compartments on Vietnam sleeper trains, there are 6 berths in one cabin, and the fare will depend on the floor you choose – the most expensive price to the bottom floor, then the middle floor, and the lowest rate for the top floor.
Soft berth: It is the most comfortable class for tourists, there are only 4 or 2 berths in 1 cabin on a typical first-class sleeper train in Vietnam. All berths are marked at the same price. The soft berth is highly recommended for long-distance travel as you can rest comfortably for hours.
Reasons to Travel to Vietnam by Overnight Trains:
Budget price: It is true to say that traveling by train is much cheaper compared to by airplane. Furthermore, when tourists travel by train, they also enjoy discounts for children, students, soldiers, etc.
Fares are stable: If you fly frequently, you will understand the complexity of the fare structure of this transport type. Meanwhile, train fares tend to be stable from day to day. Whether starting at night or day, Monday or Saturday, train tickets are still only one price unchanged.
However, there are also a few times when the fare increases, such as during the holidays, but the difference is not much, and tends to return to the old price when the holiday is over. Therefore, it can be said that the train fare is quite stable.
Inside A Sleeper Train In Vietnam:
Allowed to carry a lot of baggage: This is especially beneficial if you are traveling for a long time and need to carry a lot of baggage. If traveling by train, you can bring a maximum of 20 kg of baggage, while flying only allows 7 kg in Economy class and 14 kg in Business class.
Safety: Trains are a fairly safe type of transport. Due to running on separate tracks, the risk of a train colliding with other vehicles is almost impossible. So you can rest assured that you will get to where you go, without having to worry about ever-increasing car or plane crashes.
Environmentally friendly: Compared to cars or planes, the emissions that train emit a lot less. The amount of carbon emitted by trains does not have a direct effect on the upper atmosphere and is, therefore, less toxic than plane emissions.
Be noted that the price is the ticket fee per pax, so if you want to book and pay for the entire 4-berth cabin but for less than 4 people, you may have to pay 4 tickets.
If you’re still wondering, please read more Should you travel around Vietnam by sleeper trains?
Popular Vietnam Overnight Train Routes:
- Hanoi to Sapa Overnight Trains
- Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City Trains (from the North down to the South of Vietnam)
If you want to head for the hills at Sapa, the best way to get there is to take a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai station. Sapa has no railway station, but it’s about 38 km (24 miles) from Lao Cai railway station and is easily reached by bus, jeep or taxi in about 50 minutes. There are both daytime and overnight sleeper trains between Hanoi & Lao Cai . However, most of them depart at around 21:00 – 22:00 from Hanoi and arrive at Lao Cai station at 05:00 – 06:00.
On some of sleeper trains in Vietnam, you can choose between the normal Vietnamese railways or a whole series of privately run sleeper coachs of a higher standard aimed at tourists. If you are looking for some information about night trains from Hanoi to Sapa, all the details you need, from normal sleeper coachs to first-class sleeper coachs in Vietnam, are shown in the table below for you to follow.
| Orient Express Trains | |
| Luxury 4 berth cabin | VIP 2 berth cabin |
| Sharing air-conditioning cabin | Private air-conditioning cabin (solo travelers have to book entire cabin including 2 tickets) |
| Inclusion: blankets, cushion, cookies, mineral water, cold towers, and toothpaste | Inclusion: blankets, cushion, drinks, cold towers, and toothpaste |
| Livitrans Express Trains | |
| Tourist cabin | VIP cabin |
| 4 soft berths | 2 soft berths with standard 5* hotel |
| Fully comfort luxe | Inclusion: travel magazines, newspaper, drink, snack |
| Fansipan Express Trains | |
| 4 berth cabin | 2 berth cabin (VIP cabin) |
| 4 soft berths | 2 soft berths |
| Reading lights, baggage storage, flower, mineral water, snack and napkin for free | Similar to 4 berth cabin |
| King Express Trains | |
| Deluxe cabin | Superior cabin |
| 4 berths in one compartment | 2 berths in one compartment |
| Wooden-panelled, air-conditioned with individual reading lights, baggage storage | Similar to 4 berth cabin |
| Sapaly Express Trains | |
| Four berth cabin | Two berth cabin (VIP) |
| 4 soft berths | 2 soft berths |
| Reading lights, baggage storage, flower, mineral water and napkin for free | Similar to four berth cabin |
| Chapa Express Trains | |
| Soft Berth | VIP Berth |
| 4 soft berths | 2 soft berths |
| Wood-paneling cabins, air-conditional, reading lights, drink, snack, cold towel, toothpaste for free | Similar to 4 berth cabin |
| Laman Express Trains | |
| Soft Berth | VIP Berth |
| 4 soft berths | 2 soft berths |
| Refreshing towelette, Hanoi beer, coke, mineral water, and sweet pastry, tea, coffee | Similar to 4 soft berth cabin |
| Victoria Express Trains | |
| 4 Berth | 2 Berth |
| 4 soft berths | 2 soft berths |
| Individual reading lights, baggage storage, air condition system, wooden-paneled, snack and drinks | Similar to 4 berth cabin |
| Violet Express Trains | |
| 4 Berth | 2 Berth |
| 4 soft berths | 2 soft berths |
| Individual reading lights, baggage storage, air condition system, wooden-paneled, snack and drinks | Similar to 4 berth cabin |
