Easy purchase, boarding and the trip itself. The only spoiles was the somewhat busted seat that ever so slowly reclined by itself whether I wanted it or not. Not a problem as I was able to use another empty seat.
The 4 sleeper compartments were full, so ended up in a 6 sleeper compartment with 5 guys.
Woke up to one guy fumbling my feet, very distressing but I swore loudly at him and kicked, and my fellow compartment sleepers (all woken up by my yelling) also shouted at him in Vietnamese.
Train attendant came over as well.
It would be nice if Vietnam rail could put some effort into ‘ladies only’ compartments, so women solo travellers can actually sleep as well.
Easy, no hassle after I downloaded the ticket to my phone. Just showed the PDF file to the ticket inspector before entering the platform and again to the conductor at each door of each open car.
This is not a modern Western style rail system, so the ride wasn't always smooth, but the cars were air conditioned, the seats comfortable and the bathrooms clean. The table in front of every seat made it easy to eat, if you ordered from the carts passing through the train. Just understand this won't compare to a modern Japanese train.
The bed was already had been used. When I asked the attendant for new sheets, he said they were any. He suggested I move to a VIP and requested 1 million VND.
Someone was smoking cigarettes in one of the cabins and the crew made no effort to stop it. Moreover, the crew came into my cabin and Tom's the other person I side that the next stop was Da Nang and ignored me. Since I was also getting off there I think between the two of us in that cabin I needed to know the shop more that the Vietnamese man.pstly it was the almost constant cigarette smoke that caused the 2 stars.
The train was relatively comfortable and the ride was on time. The train lacked a digital information system. Also, the seats although comfortable tilt back so much that my beverage fell on me as the passenger in front of me tilted his seat almost to a flat position and the angle of the tray just followed 😅
It gets 4 stars just because of what the Vietnamese standard is.
It was a lovely trip. We were lucky te be able to keep the booth to ourselves. Shortly after departure the train gently rocked us a sleep. The staff was professional and friendly.
The train ride was great for me. I am not sure about others. The train is noisy mind you. This isan old train not a modern train. So you will hear noises and feel the shakes. But I liked it and dont mind. Toilet is clean and the bed was okay with me.
Comfortable compartment and staff were very good from helping me aboard to food and soft drinks. I travelled from Da Nang to HCMC and it was a great experience that I would happily recommend others to try.
รถไฟ ห้องโดยสารวีไอพี, Vietnam Rail, 9 ต.ค. 2026
L Z
Luisa Z
The beds were incredibly hard, but the train ran relatively smoothly, apart from the constant honking, but that didn't bother me personally. The views early in the morning were fantastic and the people were very kind and accommodating. It gets very cold on the train, so pack your scarf and let's go ;) best wishes, Luisa
I didn't use 12togo's support, so I can't really give it any stars.
The train was so loud since the automatic doors that close off the railway carrage were constantly open.
And the train took sooo long for just 250km. I should’ve taken a grab instead..
Too expensive for the service, the manager of the wagon was pushing for us to spend more to get a cabin private (we were in a 4 seats/dormitory) compartment i believe he was looking for cah for himself, bossing around on every move we made. compartment was too cold with non possible control of temperature, just less power or more power… restaurant tables were dirty…really bot the experience we were looking for
The bed was very uncomfortable and felt as hard as concrete or wood. The ride was also very bumpy, and the bed was quite small, which made it difficult to get a good night’s sleep. In addition, both the cabin and the toilets were very small and not particularly clean.
รถไฟ ห้องโดยสารวีไอพี, Vietnam Rail, 2 ก.ย. 2026
P S
Philipp S
Perfect, communication, driver was on time and pick-up / drop-off location as communicated. Very new and comfortable limousine with massage seat :) The drive was relaxing and I felt safe.
The staff were great and friendly. Onboard meals was good in a reasonable price. However 6beds in a cabin isnt a good idea for me. Cant sit, not spacious, a bit uncomfortable.
Journey was nice. Good Train experience.
But if you receive seats on the right side of the train, your view isn’t that nice. Sitting on the left side you have an amazing view.
Seat 25 in carriage 2 would not lock into the upright position. It would default to the fully reclined position. It was impossible to sit up without it falling back.
Travel by train is our favourite mode of transport and 12Go made it easy to book and pay in advance. It would have been even better if a menu showing what food and drink was available and the cost.
Operator made us wait as early as 1140 for a 1200 schedule. Turns out we were last to be picked up, so we ended up in the front seats (less comfortable than the plush seats at the back, but nice view). However the nice view also allowed observation of the driver, at some point in the journey (at least 30 minutes, between 1PM - 2PM) a friend of his (likely a driver), called (could hear traffic in the background), then continued with SMS messaging. While the driver is skilled, this is still dangerous as there were times he was texting with both hands, and distracted for a few seconds. No hard brakes or near misses but still a dangerous situation which should call for the driver to be reprimanded that safety is more important than his social chatter with his friend. Also, when the limousine van arrived in Hue, we were transferred to another vehicle (a pickup) for the last 1 km (which I don't understand the reason why) which was IMO unnecessary although the delay was just for a few minutes.