Vietnam Train Tickets: Prices, Classes, and How to Book

Two evening trains from Saigon reach Nha Trang at 2:40 a.m. and 3:44 a.m. You step off with your bags, the station is quiet, and you need a taxi app to work right now. Viettel's tourist guide lists SIM counters at five airports and in city shops, and it lists no train stations. So sort out your data before you board.

Vietnam train tickets are sold at dsvn.vn, in the Vé tàu app, and at station ticket windows. You book with your passport number. For trains on November 5, 2026, a berth from Saigon to Nha Trang started at 436,000 dong (about $17). The full line from Hanoi to Saigon runs 1,726 km (1,072 miles), and the fastest train, SE1, takes 32 hours 45 minutes.

Fares and times below are for trains on November 5, 2026, from the Vietnam Railways timetable, read on 2026-10-24. Dollar amounts use about 25,790 dong to $1, the rate on 2026-10-30. We have not ridden these trains as a test, and Moosetrip sells eSIMs, so keep that in mind as you read.

In short:

  • Saigon to Nha Trang has 7 trains a day. The trip takes 7 hours 9 minutes to 8 hours 36 minutes, and seats start at 296,000 dong (about $11.50).
  • Book on dsvn.vn or in the Vé tàu app. The site takes Visa, Mastercard, and JCB through its Napas gateway, and you get 30 minutes to pay.
  • Free Wi-Fi is confirmed on just one train pair, SNT1 and SNT2 between Saigon and Nha Trang.
  • A boarding pass on your phone is fine since January 1, 2026. Carry your passport too.
Vietnam eSIM from $4.50Install at home, connect when you land.See plans

Vietnam train routes and travel times

Most travelers ride the North-South line. Saigon station is the Ho Chi Minh City stop. Trains SE1 to SE10 run end to end. SE19 and SE20 link Hanoi and Da Nang, SE21 and SE22 link Saigon and Da Nang, and SNT1 and SNT2 link Saigon and Nha Trang. The number tells you the direction: odd numbers head south, even numbers head north.

RouteDistanceTrains that dayTravel time
Hanoi to Saigon1,072 miles532 h 45 min to 38 h 26 min
Saigon to Nha Trang255 miles77 h 9 min to 8 h 36 min
Nha Trang to Da Nang326 miles69 h 15 min to 11 h 28 min
Da Nang to Hue64 miles82 h 28 min to 3 h 58 min
Hanoi to Da Nang491 miles615 h 8 min to 16 h 48 min

To Sapa. Three night trains leave Hanoi for Lao Cai: SP15 at 9:45 p.m., SP3 at 10:00 p.m., and SP7 at 10:40 p.m. They arrive between 5:20 a.m. and 6:27 a.m. A 4-berth bunk was 475,000 to 646,000 dong (about $18 to $25). Sapa town is another 20 miles or so by road from the station.

Over the Hai Van Pass. Tourist trains HĐ1 to HĐ4 run between Hue and Da Nang with a stop at Lang Co. The ride takes about three hours, and a seat was 185,000 to 227,000 dong (about $7 to $9).

Seats and sleepers

  • Soft seat with air conditioning. Cheapest option, and fine for daytime hops like Da Nang to Hue.
  • 6-berth cabin. Three levels of bunks. The lower the bunk, the higher the price. On SE6 from Saigon to Nha Trang, the bottom bunk was 555,000 dong, the middle 501,000, and the top 436,000.
  • 4-berth cabin. Two levels. On that same SE6, a bottom bunk was 630,000 to 660,000 dong and a top bunk 585,000 to 615,000.
  • 2-berth VIP cabin. Only on some trains. For November 5 it was sold on SE19, SE20, SE22, SP3, and SP4. On SE22 from Saigon to Nha Trang it cost 1,504,000 dong (about $58).

The train matters as much as the class. A seat from Saigon to Nha Trang was 296,000 dong on the morning SE8 and up to 572,000 on the evening SE4. A bottom bunk in a 4-berth cabin on SE4 was 1,207,000 dong, almost twice the price on SE6.

Vietnam train prices by route

Fares are per person for the whole route, across all trains that day, in thousands of dong.

RouteSeat6-berth4-berthIn dollars, seat to 4-berth
Hanoi to Saigon1,015 to 1,3421,362 to 2,1441,831 to 2,345$39 to $91
Saigon to Nha Trang296 to 572436 to 1,092585 to 1,207$11.50 to $47
Nha Trang to Da Nang448 to 605756 to 1,055894 to 1,167$17 to $45
Da Nang to Hue89 to 173131 to 292134 to 335$3 to $13
Hanoi to Da Nang645 to 848952 to 1,5371,279 to 1,704$25 to $66

Two pricing rules can change your total. A ticket bought less than 48 hours before departure costs more: 7% extra under 1,000 km and 5% extra on longer trips. If you buy a round trip in one order, the return leg is 10% cheaper.

How to book a Vietnam train ticket

  1. Pick a seller. The official site, dsvn.vn, has an English version. The Vé tàu app is linked from that site. Station windows and official agents sell the same seats. Agencies and booking sites may charge a different price, so compare with dsvn.vn first.
  2. Enter your details. Use your name and passport number exactly as printed. Rules from January 1, 2026 say the name and ID number on the ticket must match your document.
  3. Pay. The site lists Napas, Ngân Lượng, Payoo, VNPay, and e-wallets. Visa, Mastercard, and JCB go through Napas. You get 30 minutes, then the seats go back on sale.
  4. Save the proof. The site shows a booking code, and an email titled "Mua vé thành công" (ticket purchased) follows.
  5. Board. Show a printout, a photo, or the code on your phone, along with your passport. The rules advise arriving 30 minutes early. Carry-on is free up to 20 kg (44 pounds).

Refunds: you cannot return a ticket less than 4 hours before departure. From 4 to 24 hours out, 20% is withheld. Earlier, it is 10%. Trains to Lao Cai keep more. Online tickets are returned in the TRẢ VÉ section on dsvn.vn, and money back to a foreign card can take up to 45 days.

Booking around Tet 2027

Tet is the Vietnamese New Year, and trains fill early. Sales for North-South trips from January 23 to February 25, 2027 opened on September 5, 2026. On peak days, refunds and changes cost 30% and must be made at least 24 hours out.

Stations and night arrivals

StationDistance by roadArrivals from midnight to 6 a.m.
Saigon2.3 miles to Ben Thanh Market3:26, 4:35, 5:00, 5:30
Nha Trang1.4 miles to the seafront Tram Huong Tower2:40, 3:44, 5:40
Da Nang1.9 miles to Dragon Bridge, 4.4 to My Khe Beach, 19 to Hoi An12:21, 1:46, 5:40, 5:48
Hue1.3 miles to Truong Tien Bridge2:12, 4:44
Hanoi2.2 miles to Hoan Kiem Lake3:40, 4:36, 5:42

Distances come from OpenStreetMap roads. If you arrive in the dark, have your hotel address saved and your ride app ready. Grab and Xanh SM both operate in Vietnam, and metered taxis are also an option.

Wi-Fi and cell signal on Vietnam trains

VnExpress reported on July 7, 2026, citing Travel + Leisure, that the Reunification trains, the SE line, had no Wi-Fi. Free Wi-Fi did arrive on the upgraded SNT1 and SNT2 between Saigon and Nha Trang, launched on October 12, 2026. SNT2 leaves Saigon at 9:45 p.m. and reaches Nha Trang at 5:40 a.m. SNT1 leaves Nha Trang at 8:20 p.m. and reaches Saigon at 5:00 a.m.

For everything else, you rely on cell data. We sampled nPerf's coverage map on 2026-10-24 at 6,886 points along the track, one every 250 meters. Each cell shows the share of points with any test, then the share of those on 4G or better.

SectionViettelVinaphoneMobiFone
Saigon to Nha Trang81%, 98%54%, 93%40%, 94%
Nha Trang to Da Nang97%, 100%52%, 99%52%, 95%
Hai Van Pass, 13 miles99%, 99%100%, 87%67%, 72%
Da Nang to Hue100%, 100%94%, 97%93%, 89%
Hue to Hanoi100%, 99%56%, 94%72%, 79%

Viettel has just two gaps over 2 miles: about 5 miles between Long Khanh and Binh Thuan stations, and about 2.5 miles farther on toward Thap Cham. Between Tuy Hoa and Dieu Tri, Vinaphone has two stretches of about 14 miles with no tests. A map like this only shows where people ran tests, so treat it as a guide and not a promise.

Download movies and offline maps at the hotel.

Data for a train trip

The Moosetrip Vietnam eSIM lists the Viettel, Vinaphone, and MobiFone networks. We do not promise 5G on it. On 2026-10-30, plans ran from $4.50 for 1 GB over 7 days to $24 for 10 GB over 30 days.

Use a cautious rule: 1 GB is about 5 hours of maps and taxi apps, or about 1.5 hours of video calls. Two hours of maps a day plus a 20-minute video call comes to about 8.7 GB over 14 days, so pick 10 GB. If you run low, you can add data to the same eSIM.

Check your phone first. It must support eSIM and be unlocked. Then pick a plan on our Vietnam page and install it at home over Wi-Fi. Days count from your first connection in Vietnam, and your US number stays on as a second line. If your US plan already covers Vietnam at a price you like, you may not need this. For local options, see Internet in Vietnam for tourists.

Questions

How long is the train from Hanoi to Saigon?

From 32 hours 45 minutes to 38 hours 26 minutes, on the 5 trains that ran on November 5, 2026. A bottom bunk in a 4-berth cabin was 1,974,000 to 2,345,000 dong, about $77 to $91.

Can Americans buy Vietnam train tickets online?

Yes. Use dsvn.vn or the Vé tàu app with your passport number. The site lists Visa, Mastercard, and JCB through Napas.

Do I need to print my train ticket?

No. Since January 1, 2026, the carrier's rules accept a printout, a photo, or a code on a phone screen. Bring your passport, since the ticket details must match it.

Is there Wi-Fi on trains in Vietnam?

On SNT1 and SNT2, yes. VnExpress said in July 2026 that the SE trains had none. On those, plan on cell data.

Sources

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