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Vietnam by rail

Ten unhurried days down the Vietnamese coast by train - Hanoi to Hoi An to Saigon, no flights, the country scrolling past the window. The food obsessives chase every street stall while the slower half nap on the sleeper and wander old towns; the cooking class, the lantern night in Hoi An and the long scenic rail leg are the bits the whole group does together.

10 days6 goingHoi An
~€1,120 pp · illustrative
CultureFoodSlow travelTrains
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Day by day

Day 1 · Land in Hanoi
PMInto Hanoi, drop bags in the Old Quarter, first bowl of phở
EveningBia hơi on plastic stools, easy walk around Hoan Kiem lake
Day 2 · Hanoi on foot
AMFood crew: street-food crawl - bún chả, egg coffee, bánh cuốn
PMSlower half: Temple of Literature, train-street coffee, a long sit
Day 3 · Night train south
AMMorning at the Women's Museum or a market, snacks bought for the train
NightBoard the Reunification Express sleeper to Đồng Hới / Huế - the whole crew in the soft-sleeper cabins
Day 4 · Huế
AMArrive Huế, breakfast of bún bò Huế by the river
PMImperial Citadel for the culture half; café and Perfume River walk for the rest
Day 5 · The scenic leg (whole crew)
All six together for the Huế → Đà Nẵng train over the Hải Vân Pass - the coastal stretch everyone came for - then a short transfer to Hoi An
Day 6 · Hoi An old town
AMTailors and the yellow lanes for some; quiet riverside coffee for others
NightLantern night on the river together - boats, candles, the whole group out
Day 7 · Cooking class (whole crew)
AMMarket tour and a hands-on Hoi An cooking class - all six, even the non-cooks
PMBeach afternoon at An Bàng for whoever wants it
Day 8 · Slow Hoi An day
A blank day: bikes through the rice paddies, a long lunch, hammocks - the slow-travel point of the trip
Day 9 · South to Saigon
DayTrain down to Ho Chi Minh City, window seats, snacks and card games
NightArrive, drop bags, District 1 dinner and night markets
Day 10 · Saigon and out
AMLast food crawl - bánh mì, a final cà phê sữa đá
PMAirport transfer, flights home

Who wanted what

EatingTom, Anna, John
Hanoi street-food crawlBún bò HuếHoi An cooking class
History & old townsJulia, Klaus
Huế Imperial CitadelHoi An lantern nightTemple of Literature
Slow daysLeo
An Bàng beachRice-paddy bike ride

Book it

Train

Soft-sleeper rail tickets

Cabins for 6
Reunification ExpressHải Vân scenic leg
€95 pp all legs · illustrativeAdd to plan
Guesthouse

Old-town guesthouses

3 twins per city, sleeps 6
Central in each townBreakfast included
€30 pp/night · illustrativeAdd to plan

What made this trip work

  • No flights meant no airport days - the train was downtime and sightseeing at once.
  • Booking soft-sleeper cabins together turned the overnight legs into the social part of the trip.
  • The food crowd and the slow crowd both got full days without ever really splitting the group.
  • Hoi An's lantern night and the cooking class were the shared memories everyone took home.

Organiser

J

John organised this one. “Let the train set the pace. Book the sleepers early, keep one blank day per town, and the country does the rest.”

Plan it around an activity

FoodSee the full activity guide
CultureSee the full activity guide
Written by Manta
Updated June 2026

A published crew trip, made copyable. Swap the dates and the people and make it yours. Book sleeper tickets and the scenic-leg seats well ahead in high season.

Make Vietnam by rail yours
Copy the plan, swap the dates and the people.
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Vietnam by rail - trip plan · Manta