Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City by Train: A 10-Day Budget Itinerary

The Reunification Express is the railway that links the capital, Hanoi, to Ho Chi Minh City, still called Saigon by almost everyone. Run end to end, it takes more than thirty hours, with sleeper berths, and very few travellers do it in one go. This 10-day budget itinerary cuts it into stages: night legs that save a hotel bill, day legs that show you the country, and two road relays for places the main line does not serve directly.

It is a rail journey, not a rail shortcut. If speed matters, the 10 days in Vietnam itinerary and the domestic flights guide are the better starting points. If you want side trips by car, look at Vietnam in two weeks instead. Here, the rails set the pace.

The route at a glance

Day	Stop	How you move
1	Hanoi	Arrive, walk the Old Quarter
2	Ninh Binh	Road relay from Hanoi, about 100 km
3	Ninh Binh, then night train	Overnight sleeper towards Hue
4	Hue	Arrive by morning, imperial sights
5	Hue to Da Nang	Day train, the scenic coastal section
6	Hoi An	Road relay from Da Nang
7	Hoi An	Rest day, river and old town
8	Da Nang to Nha Trang	Long day train, roughly ten hours
9	Nha Trang, then night train	Overnight sleeper towards Saigon
10	Ho Chi Minh City	Arrive and explore

Durations here are orders of magnitude, not timetables. Schedules change and vary by train number, so check the current timetable on the operator’s official channels when you book.

Before you go: three corrections worth knowing

Hue is not the capital. Hue was the imperial seat of the Nguyen emperors until 1945. Today the capital is Hanoi, and Ho Chi Minh City is the largest city and the economic centre.

No airport has a rail or metro link. You will arrive at Noi Bai in Hanoi and leave from Tan Son Nhat in Saigon, and in both cases the last leg is a taxi or a ride-hailing app. See Grab and taxis in Vietnam and the airports explained post. The Ho Chi Minh City airport is unusually close to the centre, but the rule still holds.

Ninh Binh and Hoi An need a road relay. Do not plan on a train dropping you at the door of Trang An or the old town of Hoi An. Think of the railway as the spine and these two as short road hops off it. Both relays below are presented without made-up departure times; ask your hotel to book a seat or a car the day before.

For the bigger picture on the line itself, read the train travel guide and the honest Reunification Express review.

Day 1: Hanoi

Land at Noi Bai, about 25 to 35 km from the centre, and take a taxi or an app car into town. The transfer usually takes between 45 and 70 minutes depending on traffic. Check in somewhere in or near the Old Quarter, which keeps you within walking distance of most things and of the main railway station by a short ride.

Spend the afternoon on foot around Hanoi: Hoan Kiem Lake, the narrow trade streets of the Old Quarter and a bowl of pho or bun cha for lunch. In the evening, try an egg coffee. For orientation, the Old Quarter guide helps you avoid the usual loops.

Traffic drives on the right and is dominated by motorbikes. Cross at a steady, predictable pace and do not stop halfway.

Day 2: Hanoi to Ninh Binh by road

Ninh Binh sits roughly 100 km south of Hanoi. Take a bus, a shared minibus or a private car for this relay; the journey is a morning’s travel rather than a day. Drop your bags and head out into the karst scenery around Ninh Binh.

The classic outing is the rowing-boat trip through the caves of Trang An, a UNESCO World Heritage landscape since 2014. For a more active take, the jeep tour with kayaking and lunch covers several of the valley’s sights in one go. If you prefer to keep costs down, a rented bicycle around Tam Coc does the job for very little.

Day 3: Ninh Binh and the first night train

Spend the morning at Hoa Lu, the ancient capital of the Dinh and Le dynasties, or climb to a viewpoint above the paddies. In the afternoon, head for the station for your overnight sleeper towards Hue. Check ahead which services call at the Ninh Binh station on the day you travel; if yours does not, return to Hanoi by road and board there. Do not leave this to the last minute.

Soft sleeper berths in a four-bed compartment are the comfortable budget choice; a hard sleeper is cheaper again. Bring a layer, because air conditioning can be strong, and keep valuables close. Water, instant noodles and snacks are sold aboard, but carry your own bottled water since tap water is not drinkable anywhere in Vietnam.

The overnight leg to Hue takes roughly half a day and a night in total. You arrive in the morning, which is the point: you lose no hotel night and no daylight.

Day 4: Hue, the imperial city

Arrive in Hue, drop your bags and sleep for an hour if you did not sleep on the train. The station is a short ride from the old centre, and again there is no rail or airport link, so a taxi or app is how you get around.

The Complex of Hue Monuments, inscribed by UNESCO in 1993, is the main attraction. Walk the Imperial City inside the citadel walls in the morning, then pause for lunch with the local specialty, bun bo Hue, a spicy beef noodle soup that belongs to this city.

In the late afternoon, the half-day boat trip on the Perfume River stops at the Thien Mu Pagoda and gives you the river’s view of the city. For the royal tombs of Tu Duc, Minh Mang and Khai Dinh, see the Hue city tours guide for ways to join a group or hire a driver on a budget.

Day 5: Hue to Da Nang, the best stretch of the line

This is the day the whole itinerary is built around. The Hue to Da Nang section is the most beautiful part of the Reunification Express: the line hugs the coast, skirts lagoons and then climbs along the headland near the Hai Van Pass before dropping to the bay of Da Nang. It takes roughly three hours, a few hours at most, so it is easy to do on a day train.

Sit on the side of the train that faces the sea (check the direction of travel once aboard) and keep your camera ready for the climb. If you are curious about the road version of this section, the Hai Van Pass tours guide covers it, but the rail view is better than most people expect.

Arrive in Da Nang in the afternoon. Walk along the Han River and see the Dragon Bridge. In the evening, the Han River night cruise is a low-cost way to see the city lit up, and you can end it on the waterfront.

Day 6: Da Nang to Hoi An by road

Hoi An is the second relay. There is no need to treat it as a hardship: it is a short road hop from Da Nang, roughly 30 km, by taxi, app car or local bus. Take a taxi or app car rather than expecting a train connection.

Check in and then walk the lanes of Hoi An, a UNESCO Ancient Town since 1999, with its Japanese Covered Bridge and lantern-lined streets. Eat cao lau, mi quang and banh mi in the market. If you want a suit made, ask for quotes at several tailors and allow a couple of days for fittings.

Day 7: Hoi An, a slower day

Use this day to rest between long train legs. Rent a bicycle and ride to An Bang beach in the morning, then return for the lanes at midday when the crowds peak and shade matters. In the afternoon, the basket boat tour in the coconut palm waterways is a short, light-hearted outing and good value.

Other options: a cooking class (see Hoi An cooking classes) or an excursion to the My Son Sanctuary, a Cham Hindu site about 40 km inland. The day trips from Hoi An and Da Nang guide has more.

Weather note: the centre’s rainy season runs roughly September to December, with floods possible in October and November. If you are travelling then, read the rainy season and typhoons guide before booking.

Day 8: Da Nang to Nha Trang, the long day leg

Take a taxi or app back to Da Nang station (about 45 minutes from Hoi An) and board a day train for the south-central coast. This is the longest daytime ride on the itinerary, on the order of ten hours, so bring food, water, a charged phone and something to read. The scenery is quieter than the Hue to Da Nang stretch but the coastal views reappear as you approach Nha Trang.

If a ten-hour day sounds like too much, you can take this leg as a night train instead, which turns the leg into a sleeper and saves a hotel night. The trade-off is that you see none of the coast. Either way, expect an evening arrival in Nha Trang, a short stroll to the beachfront for a seafood dinner.

Day 9: Nha Trang, then the second night train

Spend the morning at the beach or visit the Po Nagar Cham towers, a short ride from the centre. The towers date from the Cham kingdom and are still a place of worship. Lunch on the seafront, then collect your bags.

In the evening, board the overnight sleeper to Saigon. This is the last leg and the second night on a train, which means you will be tired; plan a light schedule for tomorrow. The journey takes roughly a night, arriving in the morning or early the next day depending on the service you choose.

Day 10: Ho Chi Minh City

Arrive in Ho Chi Minh City at Saigon station, a short ride from District 1. Again, taxi or app: Grab, Be and Xanh SM all operate here, and the station is not linked to the metro. Metro Line 1 (Ben Thanh to Suoi Tien) opened in December 2024 but does not replace the taxi for the station transfer.

Walk through District 1: Ben Thanh Market, the Central Post Office and the Reunification Palace, with a visit to the War Remnants Museum if you have the energy. The name of the palace is no coincidence, since it is the same word as the express train that brought you here. In the evening, eat banh xeo or com tam, and drink ca phe sua da.

From here, the airport (Tan Son Nhat, around 7 km away) is a taxi or app ride. Allow extra time on the way if your flight is international. For ideas on where to stay and how districts differ, see the districts explained guide.

Budget notes

Rough costs depend heavily on the class you choose and the season, so treat the following as an order of magnitude and check the current prices in 2026:

• Trains: hard seats are the cheapest; soft seats and shared sleeper berths cost more but still undercut most flights. Sleeper berths save a night of accommodation.
• Beds: dorms and simple guesthouses are widely available in each stop.
• Food: street food is cheap and good; bring cash for markets and small cafes, since cards are not accepted everywhere.
• Currency: the dong is quoted in large numbers, roughly 28,000 VND to 1 EUR in mid-2026 and drifting slowly downward. See the money guide and the budget tool.

For a fuller breakdown, see the Vietnam travel budget guide.

Practical tips for a train journey

• Book early for sleepers, especially near Tet, which falls between late January and mid-February on a different date each year. Trains fill and prices rise.
• Keep passport details consistent with your booking; tickets are checked against ID.
• Carry a lock and keep valuables on you at night.
• Plan for delays. Allow slack between a long train leg and any booked tour.
• Visas depend on nationality and change; always check the official immigration portal or your government’s advice, as covered in the visa guide.

Frequently asked questions about the Hanoi to Saigon train

How long does the train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City take?

More than thirty hours end to end on the Reunification Express, with sleeper berths available. Most travellers split it into several legs with overnight stops, as this itinerary does.

Which section of the Reunification Express is the most scenic?

The Hue to Da Nang section, which runs along the coast and climbs over the headland near the Hai Van Pass. It takes a few hours and is best done by day.

Can you take the train directly to Ninh Binh and Hoi An?

Treat both as road relays from the main line. Ninh Binh is about 100 km south of Hanoi by road, and Hoi An is a short road transfer from Da Nang. Check the current timetable for what stops where.

Is there a train or metro link to the airports?

No Vietnamese airport has a rail or metro link. Transfers from stations or airports are done by taxi or ride-hailing app such as Grab, Be or Xanh SM.

Is the train cheaper than flying in Vietnam?

Hard and soft seats and shared sleeper berths are usually cheaper than a domestic flight booked at short notice, but early flight deals can be competitive. The train saves a night of accommodation when you sleep aboard.

Is Hue the capital of Vietnam?

No. Hanoi is the capital. Hue was the imperial capital of the Nguyen dynasty until 1945 and is a major heritage stop on the line.

Should I book train tickets in advance?

Yes for sleeper berths, especially around Tet and public holidays when trains fill up. Book through the official railway channel or a reputable agent and keep the booking confirmation with your passport details.