Slow overland journeys · Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia
Journeys · 21 days · Vietnam
Vietnam by rail & river
Three weeks down the length of Vietnam without boarding a plane: the north–south railway from Hanoi to Hue, over the Hai Van Pass and on to Saigon, then a slow last week on the canals and rivers of the Mekong Delta.
At a glance
- Duration
- 21 days, 20 nights
- Travelling
- Private, your party only
- Starts
- Hanoi
- Ends
- Chau Doc, or back in Ho Chi Minh City
- Internal flights
- None
- Price
- On request, per trip
Who this journey is for
For travellers with three weeks who want to see the whole length of Vietnam and feel the distance. The railway runs roughly 36 hours from Hanoi to Saigon end to end; spread over three weeks, with stops of three and four nights, it becomes the spine of the trip rather than an endurance test. One country also means one visa, one currency and no land border, which makes this the easiest of our journeys to start with.
The last week changes rhythm. In the Mekong Delta the roads are slow and the useful transport is a boat, so the days are short and early: the floating market at Cai Rang is a dawn thing, and the afternoons are for heat and hammocks.
The journey, leg by leg
Days 1–3
Hanoi
Arrival and an airport transfer, a guided half-day walk on day 2, a free day 3. If you arrive tired, day 2 can move to the afternoon; the train is not until the evening of day 4.
Day 4
Night train to Hue
About fourteen hours on an SE train, evening to morning, in a 4-berth soft sleeper. Two travellers can take the whole compartment. Pack a small overnight bag so the main luggage stays closed.
Days 5–7
Hue
Sleep on day 5. A guided citadel morning on day 6, the royal tombs by boat and car on day 7. In the rainy months we swap the order so the river day lands on the drier forecast.
Days 8–11
Over the Hai Van Pass by day train, then Hoi An
The Hai Van Pass from the train window
The two-and-a-half-hour train from Hue to Da Nang is the stretch of the line that clings to the cliffs above the sea at the Hai Van Pass. Ask for a window seat. A car meets you at Da Nang for the short drive to Hoi An. Four nights there include a rest and laundry day.
Days 12–13
The long train south
Da Nang to Saigon is about twenty hours on the SE trains — the biggest single leg in any of our journeys. We choose a departure that puts the night in the middle. If twenty hours feels like too much, we break it with a night on the coast at Nha Trang and the trip gains a day.
Days 13–15
Ho Chi Minh City
You arrive on day 13. Day 14 has a guided morning in the old centre and a market; day 15 is free.
Days 16–18
Can Tho and the floating market
About four hours by road to Can Tho. Day 17 starts before six for the floating market at Cai Rang, then canals by small boat; back for lunch and a long afternoon. Day 18 is the second rest and laundry day.
Days 19–20
Chau Doc
A road and ferry day west to Chau Doc on the Hau River, close to the Cambodian border. Sam Mountain at dusk, the river villages by boat, and the mixed Cham, Khmer and Vietnamese town.
Day 21
Leave by river or road
Two ways out. The river speedboat to Phnom Penh takes about six and a half hours including the Vinh Xuong border — the natural link to our Cambodia and Laos journey. Or a long day by road back to Ho Chi Minh City for your flight.
Sources: The Man in Seat 61 — Vietnam (updated 10 Jun 2026); Vietnam Railways ticketing, dsvn.vn; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Hue; Vietnam National Authority of Tourism — Can Tho; A Social Nomad, Chau Doc to Phnom Penh (updated 2 Sep 2025) · checked . Train times are approximate; the timetable for your dates is checked on dsvn.vn before we book.
Time against comfort, leg by leg
| Leg | By rail or river | Comfort | The alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hanoi → Hue | About 14 h overnight | Good in a soft sleeper | Flight; you lose the saved hotel night |
| Hue → Da Nang | About 2.5 h by day | High — seat with a view | Road through the tunnel is quicker and duller |
| Da Nang → Saigon | About 20 h | Tiring by the end | Break at Nha Trang, or fly this one leg |
| Saigon → Can Tho | About 4 h by road | Medium | No rail; road is the way |
| Chau Doc → Phnom Penh | About 6.5 h by river boat | Medium; cabin can be cramped | Road via a different border |
If you want to drop exactly one leg to a flight, Da Nang to Saigon is the one. That changes nothing else in the route. Comfort ratings are our own judgement; the full sourced table is on the overland legs page.
Price
| Travelling party | Comfortable rooms, named hotels | Larger rooms, river or garden views |
|---|---|---|
| Private, 1 traveller | On request | On request |
| Private, 2 travellers | On request | On request |
| Private, 3 – 4 travellers | On request | On request |
| Private, 5 – 6 travellers | On request | On request |
For context, a published guide quotes the whole Hanoi–Saigon run in a soft sleeper at roughly VND 1,026,000 to 1,758,000 per berth depending on train and berth; check before you travel. The train is a small part of this trip's cost. Hotels and the private car days in the delta move it most. See pricing and how to book.
What the price includes
- 20 nights in named hotels, with breakfast
- Train berths: Hanoi–Hue and Da Nang–Saigon in 4-berth soft sleeper, Hue–Da Nang in soft seat
- Station, airport and road transfers as listed
- Guided mornings in Hanoi, Hue (two), Ho Chi Minh City and the Mekong Delta boat day
- Small-boat trip at Cai Rang and the canals
- A leg sheet with confirmed departure times
What it does not include
- International flights
- Vietnam visa
- Travel insurance
- Lunches, dinners and drinks; meals on trains
- Entrance tickets
- The river boat to Phnom Penh, unless you add it
Who this journey is not for
- Travellers who dislike trains. Two of the legs are long, and there is no way to make them short.
- Anyone travelling to Hue between about October and December who cannot accept a flooded river day: the old capital floods most years in that window.
- Beach-first travellers. This route passes the coast; it does not stop at it for long.
- People who need step-free access: station platforms and train steps are high, and there are few lifts.
Pictures from the route
Common questions
Questions travellers ask most
How far ahead do train berths need booking?
Outside the Tet holiday, a few weeks is usually enough for a 4-berth compartment. Around Tet, book as early as the railway's ticketing allows; trains fill and some businesses close.
Can we stop at Nha Trang or Quy Nhon on the way?
Yes. Breaking the twenty-hour leg is the most common change people make, and it adds one or two days.
Is there food on the trains?
There is a trolley and simple meals, but most people bring bread, fruit and snacks bought before boarding.
Can this join a Cambodia journey?
Yes. The river boat from Chau Doc to Phnom Penh links it directly to Cambodia & Laos the Slow Way, for about six weeks in all.
Related
Read next
Journeys
Journeys
All four journeys side by side: days, legs, flights and who each one suits.
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Destinations · Central Vietnam
Hue
The old imperial capital on the Perfume River: three to four nights after the night train.
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Destinations · Southern Vietnam
Mekong Delta
Can Tho, Chau Doc and the river crossing to Phnom Penh: five nights where the railway ends.
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Plan · Overland legs
Overland legs
The leg table: hours, mode, comfort and relative cost for every overland leg we use.
View this journey
Journeys · Prices
Prices
How we price a three-to-five-week private journey, and the third-party fares behind it.
View this journey
Journeys · How to book
How to book
The steps from the first form to the printed leg sheet, and what we need at each one.
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Start planning
Tell us about the long trip you have in mind
Weeks available, month and party size are enough to start. You get questions first, then a leg-by-leg outline, not a brochure.