At the end of 2024, the first high-end train across Vietnam will officially launch. With a ticket price of up to more than 200 million VND, the trip lasts 8 days and 7 nights with a luxurious room space like a mobile hotel.
In addition to the starting and ending stations in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, the train will stop at 6 stations: Ninh Binh, Tho Loc (Quang Binh), Hue, Tra Kieu (Quang Nam), Nha Trang and Binh Thuan - Phan Thiet.
In each province, visitors will have enough time to experience local culture and cuisine such as enjoying dinner in the rice fields in Quang Binh, meeting a couple of ca tru craftsmen in Hue or exploring the traditional fish sauce making process at a museum in Phan Thiet.
Taking the experience of taking the train since the beginning of January, Ms. Ngoc Lien (HCMC) was quite satisfied with her trip. She expressed: "My friends and I have traveled all over together many times, but this is the most special time. The ship travels from North to South, visiting provinces and cities, and all of them are cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO. Going through each province, my emotions change differently".
The 8-day, 7-night journey takes visitors to explore scenic spots and listen to historical stories.
"The thing I like most when taking a train is being able to be calm, relaxed, not in a hurry, or time-consuming. Every evening, our group of guests gathers to light the camp at the small station, surrounded by rice fields, cultural activities, and chat together. personally, after the trip, I understand more about the Cham Ky culture," Ms. Ngoc Lien shared.
Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nam, a tourist from Hanoi, was most impressed when he sat on a jeep and passed by the villages and rice fields in Hoi An, Dien Ban and Duy Xuyen district (Quang Nam). The beautiful scenery of nature captivated him.
Throughout the trip, he experienced the culture along the length of the country, discovering things that he thought he knew but turned out to be new to Vietnamese tourists, such as the Alexandre Yersin Museum in Nha Trang, or experiencing Cham culture in Phan Thiet.
The ship owns 13 cars, including 10 sleeping cars (2 guests in each room) and 2 restaurant cars. Each room has an area of 10 m2. Visitors can choose between a double bedroom or a twin room depending on their needs.
The thing that Ms. Ngoc Lien was not most satisfied with during the trip was the rather small bedroom. In return, each room has its own bathroom and is fully equipped.
In addition, Mr. Thanh Nam also pointed out some things that he was not really satisfied with the trip. He said that the service of the staff on the ship was not professional and the tour guides serving the group in Hue did not have a firm grasp of historical knowledge.
With a price of 200 million VND for an 8-day, 7-night journey, this 5-star train has been embroiled in many controversies since its launch. However, most experienced passengers have positively reviewed the train services.
There are many high-end trains in the world that serve tourists from all over the continents, attracting "expenditure-loving" tourists who love to explore destinations by rail.
The Seven Stars ship in Kyushu, Japan, is often hailed as the "most important ship in the world" with a price of 11,000 USD/person (about 280 million VND) for a 4-day, 3-night trip and 4,600 USD/person (about 118 million VND) for a 2-day trip. The cost of Maharajas' Express trains in India typically ranges from $4,000 to $24,000 per person (101 to VND611 million) for 7 days.
