Cross Vietnam aboard a luxury train

Vietnam is long and narrow, and the railway that follows its spine has always been the slow way through it. SJourney turns that line into a journey in its own right: a private luxury train that runs the length of the country in eight days and seven nights, from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City or in the other direction.

What it is

The train is built around the idea of travelling at the pace of the landscape. According to the operator, cabins are twin or double, about ten square metres, each with a private bathroom, and a bistro car seats more than sixty guests with Vietnamese and international menus. Evenings include onboard performances drawn from Vietnamese heritage. Time off the train is spent in the places the line passes through.

The route

Vietnam’s tourism board lists the main stops as Ninh Binh, Quang Binh, Hue, Hoi An, Nha Trang and Binh Thuan. Read north to south, the journey moves from the limestone karst of the Red River delta to the imperial city of Hue, the lantern-lit old town of Hoi An and the beaches of the south-central coast, before arriving in Ho Chi Minh City. The southbound itinerary is called Legacy, the northbound one Heritage. Shorter itineraries of four days also exist, to Ha Long and Lan Ha Bay and to Quang Nam.

Why it deserves the time

Most visitors cover Vietnam in flights and transfers, seeing airports and hotel lobbies in between. The train reverses that: the country arrives as a continuous sequence of rice fields, villages, mountain passes and sea, and the stops become destinations rather than connections. It suits travellers who want an itinerary with a clear shape and who enjoy the ritual of a journey as much as its endpoints.

Good to know

The operator does not publish a fixed travel season, so check dates and availability directly on the official website. Itineraries, departures and cabins change; confirm everything with SJourney before planning around it. Sleeping on board is part of the journey and does not make this a hotel stay: the train is the experience.

Why OKYTO recommends it

Because it treats a railway as a way of reading a country, and because the format, a long, deliberate crossing with a defined start and finish, is rare in Asia.