
Vietnam by Private Train and Boat
• HO CHI MINH CITY • NHA TRANG • QUY NHON •
• HOI AN • HUE • HANOI • SAPA • HALONG BAY
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Departure
- Overview
- Highlights
- Map & Itinerary
- Trip Inclusions
- Transport & Accommodation
- Reviews
- FAQs
This unique 18-day private rail tour takes you the length of Vietnam by rail, from the bustling streets of Ho Chi Minh City to the graciousness of Hanoi and beyond to the fascinating hill town of Sapa, stopping along the way for unique experiences including a boat ride on the Mekong River to meet some locals in the Delta region, a couple of days in the charming UNESCO World Heritage town of Hoi An, a visit to the ancient city of Hue, once the seat of the Nguyen Dynasty, visit the tomb of Ho Chi Minh, have a coffee in the famous Train Street of Hanoi, go to the rooftop of Indochina, and meet local hill tribes in Sapa, all capped off with a private overnight cruise on iconic Halong Bay.
Departure dates
Per person twin share: $10485
Single Supplement: $2150
Some highlights of your tour
- 16 nights in deluxe quality 4 or 5-star hotels with daily breakfasts
- One-night cruise aboard a luxury boat on Ha Long Bay
- Exclusive travel aboard private carriages attached to the Reunification and Sa Pa Express Trains
- Private boat cruises on the Mekong and Perfume Rivers
- Spend two nights in a beach resort in the pleasant coastal city of Quy Nhon
- Mingle with various ethnic groups in the hilltop town of Sa Pa
- Visit the famous Train Street in Hanoi to see trains pass through narrow streets
- Visits to World Heritage sites including in Hoi An and Hue
- Fully escorted by an expert Australian tour leader and local guides throughout
- Multiple nights stays and luggage transported throughout
- Most meals included, along with drinks at welcome and farewell dinner
Your Journey
You’ll be met at the airport for your private transfer to your centrally-located hotel. Later this evening, enjoy welcome drinks on the rooftop of our hotel followed by a sumptuous welcome dinner at a local restaurant with your fellow travellers and tour leader.
We usually meet on the rooftop at 6pm so we encourage you to arrange your flights to ensure you can join us in time.
Overnight: The Mai House Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City (D)
After breakfast this morning, your exploration of Ho Chi Minh City, still known locally as Saigon, begins with a visit to the historic City Post Office, Notre Dame Cathedral, the War Remnants Museum, and the old Presidential Palace, now known as the Reunification Palace. After lunch at a local restaurant, we’ll visit the atmospheric Jade Emperor Pagoda. Built in 1909 in honour of the supreme Taoist god (the Jade Emperor or King of Heaven, Ngoc Hoang), this is one of the most atmospheric temples in Ho Chi Minh City, stuffed with statues of phantasmal divinities and grotesque heroes.
Upon returning to your hotel, there’ll be time to relax for a bit – why not avail yourself of one of the great massage salons located around the hotel. Past travellers vouch for them!
For dinner, we’ll visit a local market to sample authentic street food in the authentic District 4. Saigon is a city in love with snails, and District 4 is a magnet for snail eaters. Enjoy dinner along Vinh Khanh street aka ‘Seafood Street’ where you can indulge in a meal of snails, clams, oysters and just about anything else that lives and crawls along the ocean floor!
Overnight: The Mai House Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City (B, L, D)
After breakfast, you’ll follow the path of Vietnam’s very first railway line, the Saigon to My Tho line, to My Tho, 70 km southwest of Ho Chi Minh City in the Mekong Delta. Opened in 1885 as part of what was planned to be a grand Mekong Delta railway network, the line, and the broader plan, was marred by years of disputes, ownership changes, engineering failures and the increasing love of roads resulted in the line being abandoned in 1958.
Here, we’ll board our own boat to travel on the Mekong to the picturesque province of Ben Tre, considered to be the ‘capital of coconuts’ in Vietnam. Along the way you’ll cruise the canals of the Mekong Delta visiting local villages, fruit orchards, islands and cottage industries such as a coconut candy workshop before enjoying a traditional sampan journey to our lunch spot to sample the delicious local specialty – ‘elephant ear fish’.
On our return to Ho Chi Minh City, the rest of your afternoon and evening is at leisure.
Overnight: The Mai House Hotel, Ho Chi Minh City (B, L)
After breakfast this morning, you’ll head to Saigon Railway Station where our private railway carriages are ready and waiting for the first of our scenic train journeys, taking us along the southernmost section of the former Transindochinois railway, built between 1904 and 1913. You’ll indulge in morning tea, lunch and an early dinner served in your private dining car as the train meanders across the rice paddies and busy towns of the fertile south.
Trains that travel the length of Vietnam between Saigon and Hanoi are known as the Reunification Express, referring to the Reunification of Vietnam in 1975. Although there are eight trains on this route, no single train officially carries this title. The line was completed by the French colonist empire in 1936 and trains linked the two major cities until 1954, when Vietnam was divided into north and south. The entire North–South railway sustained major damage from bombings and sabotage during the Vietnam/American War, and when trains resumed on 31 December 1976, it unified the country.
Upon arrival in Nha Trang, also known as the ‘seafood capital of Vietnam’ and the ‘Cannes of the Orient’, we’ll transfer directly to our luxury beach-front hotel and check-in.
Overnight: Intercontinental Hotel Nha Trang Beach, Nha Trang (B, L, D)
This morning, make sure you leave enough time for one of the most amazing breakfast buffets you can imagine – it is legendary! After that, we enjoy an exploration of Nha Trang by coach, taking in the cityscape before a visit to Long Son Pagoda, the oldest temple in Nha Trang and the home of the world’s biggest Buddha statue, and then on to the 13th century Po Nagar Cham Tower, located on a sacred hill overlooking the bustling city. Here, you’ll discover more about the ancient Cham people who left their architectural mark on the entire south-central coastal region of Vietnam.
Later, we’ll take a short stroll along the city’s magnificent golden-sand beach promenade to the beach-side pavilion of the famous Nha Trang Sailing Club to enjoy lunch while soaking up the wonderful views of the beach.
After lunch, it’s back on our private train for a spectacular journey along the last section of the Trans-Indochinois railway, built by the French colonial government between 1935 and 1936. This is a stunning section of coastline-hugging railway, with mountains and lakes a part of the ever-changing scenery. Afternoon tea and an early dinner will be served in our private dining car as the countryside rolls by in the deep glow of evening. We’ll disembark at the major railway town of Dieu Tri and drive the short distance to our resort hotel in Quy Nhon.
Overnight: Avani Quy Nhon Resort, Quy Nhon (B, L, D)
We have a lazy morning this morning – time to enjoy a leisurely breakfast and perhaps even take a dip in the pool or the resort’s private beach. In the mid morning, you’ll have the chance to learn about Vietnam’s largest and most developed form of martial arts, Viet Vo Dao (aka Vovinam), in the home of a local family that has practised it for three generations.
Later, we’ll visit a local market where you’ll have a chance to try some of the local produce – Quy Nhon is known for its strange looking fruits. Be on the lookout for large, spiky jackfruit, mangosteens, dragon fruit and rambutans and then stop for the famous Vietnamese coffee, a sweet, rich coffee drink involving sweetened condensed milk and strong drip coffee. Follow that up with a light lunch of the region’s popular fiddler crab noodle soup and jumping shrimps fried pancake!
Afterwards, we’ll continue to the citadel of Cha Do Ban, the last capital of the Champa Kingdom where the Cham Kings lived between the 11th and the 15th centuries. We’ll have time to visit the stunning Bai Xep Beach with its rugged rock formations jutting out into the sea, pristine sandy shores and crystal-clear turquoise waters before returning to the resort in the late afternoon.
The rest of the afternoon and evening at leisure to enjoy all the resort has to offer.
Overnight: Avani Quy Nhon Resort, Quy Nhon (B, L)
After an early breakfast, we’ll transfer back to Dieu Tri to rejoin our train to ride the rails all the way to Da Nang.
Enjoy a sumptuous morning tea (more like a second breakfast) and lunch in our private dining car while immersing yourself in stunning rural scenery of rice fields, palm trees, small towns and villages, and gaining an insight into the country from the window of your train. Our private coach will be waiting at Da Nang Station to transfer you to your luxurious riverside resort hotel in the heart of old Hoi An.
Your hotel, the renowned Anantara Hoi An Resort features Indochina colonial-style buildings set in lush gardens on the banks of the Thu Bon River and is a short walk to the historic quarter of Hoi An.
Upon check in, we’ll enjoy dinner together in the hotel.
Overnight: Anantara Resort, Hoi An (B, L, D)
To beat the heat (and the tour groups) we’ll get going early and enjoy a guided walking tour of the old town, exploring the Thien Hau Temple, the Japanese Covered Bridge, and several of the wonderful old ancient trading houses that so captured the UNESCO committee.
You’ll then be free to get some lunch at leisure, wander the alleys of the old city, take a walk across the bridge to the other side of the river, or return to your hotel for some R & R.
Hoi An is renowned for its skilled tailors who can create any type of garment within 24 hours, so if you were hoping to have any clothes tailored while you’re here, today is the day to get that happening. We’ll also put you in contact with a shoemaker, if you’d also like to add to your shoe collection!
Dinner tonight will be in a restaurant in the old town.
Overnight: Anantara Resort, Hoi An (B, D)
This is a completely free day for you to continue exploring the wonders of Hoi An, have another fitting at the tailor, or just lie around the pool with a good book. It’s also a day when you can take advantage of optional activities organised by your tour leader, but at your own cost.
We highly recommend a traditional Vietnamese cooking class – much loved by many of our past travellers on this tour. This half day fun filled experience includes a visit to Hoi An’s colourful market where you’ll learn about the ingredients you’ll be using and a cruise along the Hoi An River before arriving at the cooking school. Some of the dishes you’ll prepare include – crispy Hoi An pancakes, Quang Nam style noodles with chicken, and Vietnamese spring rolls. At the end of this hands-on cooking lesson, you’ll sit down and eat what you’ve cooked.
Another option is to visit Ba Na Hills where you can walk along the famous Golden Hands Bridge, travel on the Ba Na Cable Car, which holds the world record for longest non-stop single track cable car at 5,801 metres in length, or wander the faux French village with its newly built French style squares, churches and hotels.
Or your tour leader can also organise a trip to the My Son Hindu temples that were constructed between the 4th and the 14th century and where you can learn about the Cham kingdom’s existence in Central Vietnam.
Overnight: Anantara Resort, Hoi An (B)
Today we find ourselves back on the road and the rails. After breakfast and check out, our private coach will take us back to Da Nang, driving by what was the US airbase at China Beach, before arriving at the busy Da Nang Railway Workshops for a private tour. It’s then on to the world-renowned Cham Sculpture Museum, containing the world’s largest and most valuable collection of Cham sculptures dating from the 4th to the 15th centuries. Following this, we’ll treat you to lunch at a famous local restaurant.
After lunch, it’s back onto your private carriages at Da Nang Station for the journey to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage city of Hue. Snacks will be served in the dining car as the train rolls over the stunningly beautiful Hai Van Pass and through stone-lined tunnels.
Upon arrival at the grand colonial station of Hue, you’ll be transferred directly to your hotel in time for sunset drinks on the rooftop bar overlooking the Perfume River before an evening at leisure to explore the dining options around the hotel.
Overnight: Imperial Hotel, Hue (B, L)
Hue acted as Vietnam’s political and royal capital during the 19th century and remains one of the country’s most important cultural and religious centres. The city was the battleground for the Battle of Hue, a major conflict during the Tet Offensive in 1968.
This morning after breakfast we’ll embark on a full-day tour, beginning with a visit to the ancient Imperial City of Hue, the vast Hue Citadel, a walled fortress and palace that belonged to the ancient city of Hue, the capital city of the Nguyen Dynasty for 140 years from 1805 until 1945. It’s then on to the Tomb of Tu Duc and the Royal Arena where tigers and elephants once fought for the king’s amusement.
After lunch in a local restaurant, we’ll explore the tranquil Thien Mu Pagoda before returning to our hotel by boat along the Perfume River. This evening at dinner, we’ll enjoy music, art, fine cuisine and royal architecture in the Ben Xuan Garden House Theatre on the banks of the Perfume River.
Overnight: Imperial Hotel, Hue (B, L, D)
Today, we add a plane into our mode of travel, with a morning flight for the short trip from Hue to Vietnam’s historic and dynamic capital, Hanoi. Upon arrival, we’ll transfer directly to our hotel, check in and enjoy some lunch in the hotel.
After lunch, you will visit Ho Chi Minh Stilt House, where Ho Chi Minh lived and worked during most of his time as leader of North Vietnam and the One Pillar Pagoda, a historic Buddhist temple which was built in the 11th century. An option this afternoon is to visit Hoa Lo Prison, known to American POWs in the Vietnam War as the “Hanoi Hilton”. After the fall of Saigon in 1975, the prison was used to incarcerate Vietnamese dissidents and other political prisoners.
Dinner this evening is at a local restaurant featuring the special cuisine of the North – Cha Ca – grilled white fish, fragrant with tumeric, fish sauce, ginger and garlic.
After dinner, there’s the option to join your tour leader for a visit to the famous Train Street, a residential area built precariously close to the train line in the Old Quarter of Hanoi. This narrow residential street is just a few hundred metres from Hanoi’s main train station and would be like any other in Hanoi if not for the fact it has a train running through the middle of it! Many locals have converted their houses into quaint little cafes where you can enjoy some drinks at your own cost and enjoy the thrill of a local train whizzing by. Later, you have the choice of returning to the hotel by coach, or riding back through the bustling Old Quarter by traditional rickshaw.
Overnight: Apricot Hotel, Hanoi (B, L, D)
Today is a full-day tour of Hanoi. The morning will be an exploration of some of the capital city’s more famous sights, including the French Quarter, Hoan Kiem Lake, the Presidential Palace Vestiges Area, and the Temple of Literature. Lunch will be hosted at KOTO (‘Know One Teach One’), a not-for-profit initiative providing hospitality training and work opportunities for some of Vietnams’ most vulnerable young people including disadvantaged street children. The flagship KOTO restaurant began as a humble banh mi stall in Hanoi Old Quarter in 1999 and since then, with the support of people like us, has grown into the premises it occupies today, served over 1 million diners and graduated more than 1,000 trainees.
Continue your tour of this fascinating ancient city with a visit to the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, the final resting place of Vietnamese communist revolutionary leader, nationalist and President Ho Chi Minh, the President of Democratic Republic of Vietnam, aka North Vietnam, from 1945 until his death in 1969.
Late in the afternoon, you’ll visit the famous Water Puppet Theatre for a most entertaining performance before joining your local Vietnamese guide for a Street Food tour for dinner, sampling local delicacies along the way.
Overnight: Apricot Hotel, Hanoi (B, L, D)
Today is Sa Pa day. After an early breakfast, we transfer to Hanoi Railway station, board our special private train and begin the spectacular journey to the glorious Hill Station town of Sa Pa. As we settle in for a second breakfast on board in our dining car, we travel along the valley of the vast Red River.
Morning tea and lunch is served on board by our private catering team, before rolling into a station near the Chinese border for the one-hour coach transfer to your art-inspired hotel – a unique mix of the Palace of Versailles meets Hogwarts meets Folies Bergère meets ‘Steampunk’ Fashion meets Antiques Roadshow meets French Indochina chic, with a touch of Miss Fisher Murders Mysteries thrown in for good measure! To say it is outrageously lavish and over the top eccentric would be understating it!
Check into your hotel and enjoy dinner in a local restaurant.
Overnight: Hotel de la Coupole, Sa Pa (B, L, D)
This morning, dressed in warm clothes, you’ll take a cable car to Mt Fansipan, where a breathtaking experience awaits. At 3,147 metres, Fansipan is the highest mountain in Vietnam. It used to take travellers two days of hard trekking to reach the summit. Now, you can reach the ‘Roof of Indochina’ in just 15 minutes by way of a state-of-the-art cable car that offers jaw-dropping views of swirling clouds and forested slopes on the way to the mountaintop gardens. Here, you’ll marvel at ancient Azalea trees, 18 beautifully sculpted bronze statues, and the famous 20-metre celestial Buddha statue, the largest in Vietnam. Lunch is a magnificent buffet offering western dishes, traditional Vietnamese fare and local specialties like braised horse.
After lunch, we’ll visit Ta Van village, where you can view picturesque terraced rice fields and learn about the lifestyle of the Giay people, before stopping in at Lao Chai village, home to the Giay and Black H’mong ethnic groups.
Return to Sa Pa town and tour the historic Sa Pa Post Office and the Sa Pa Market. Your evening is free to either further enjoy the hotel’s gorgeous restaurants or explore something more local in town.
Overnight: Hotel de la Coupole, Sa Pa (B, L)
This morning, we’ll hop on our private coach for an hour-long drive to Lao Cai City to visit the Lao Cai Vietnamese/Chinese International border. At the border, you will see the narrow-gauge Hanoi–Lao Cai railway that crosses the Nanxi River over a bridge and meets China’s Hekou-Kunming standard gauge railway. Take some photos and hopefully see a goods train cross the bridge into China.
The railway, built by the French in the early 20th century, intersects with the newly completed Fangchenggang-Dongxing railway, the first high-speed railway link from Kunming to Vietnam’s border. In late 2023, Vietnam announced plans to upgrade the Vietnamese section of the railway line connecting Kunming with Hanoi terminating at Vietnam’s important port city of Haiphong, as a part of Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative.
We’ll enjoy lunch in a local restaurant in Lao Cai City before continuing by coach back to Hanoi, arriving in time for dinner at your hotel.
Overnight: Apricot Hotel, Hanoi (B, L, D)
Enjoy an early breakfast at your hotel before departing by coach to the stunning UNESCO World Heritage-listed Ha Long Bay, where our privately chartered deluxe boat awaits to take you on a very special one-night cruise in this beautiful landscape.
Lunch will be served on board, after which you can join the first of many of the included off-boat activities offered. Or stay on board and have a massage, manicure or pedicure – the choice is yours!
Enjoy late afternoon drinks on the sundeck as the sun sets over the islands, or join an on-board cooking class, learning about the craft of fruit and vegetable carving. After a 5-course farewell dinner, you might like to try squid fishing with the crew, or just relax in your cabin listening to the gentle sound of the water lapping the sides of the boat as it rocks you to sleep.
Overnight: Calypso Cruise Boat on Ha Long Bay (B, L, D)
Enjoy breakfast and lunch on board as our boat slowly makes its way back to port. Tai chi will be offered as a morning option if you’d like to join in, but after last night’s farewell dinner you might prefer to stand in the shower and stare out of the picture window for a while!
Upon arrival back in Ha Long, we bid farewell to our wonderful crew and board our coach for the trip back to Hanoi, via the airport for those flying out this evening.
What's included
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16 nights accommodation in quality, centrally located 4 and 5-star hotels
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1 night on a privately chartered cruise on Ha Long Bay
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17 breakfasts, 14 lunches and 12 dinners
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Drinks included with welcome and farewell dinners
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Privately chartered rail carriages
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Luxury chartered coach, with luggage transport throughout the tour
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Comprehensive sightseeing with expert local guides
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All excursions and entrance fees, as listed in the itinerary
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Airport transfers on arrival and departure
What's not included
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International flights
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Meals and services not mentioned in the itinerary
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Vietnam Visa
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All other personal expenses such as drinks, phone calls, laundry services, and camera fees where applicable
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Excursions listed as optional and extra in the brochure
Some ways you’ll travel
The best train trips possible, private luxury coach for off-train travel, guided walking where suitable, and other appropriate and appealing options to make exploration easy

Dragon Boat on the Perfume River at Hue
Vietnam
Compartment interior on our special train
Vietnam
Luxury Private Boat on Halong Bay
VietnamSome places you’ll stay
Hand-picked hotels and resorts based on location, customer feedback, value and atmosphere. Please Note: Hotels of a similar standard may be substituted.

Anantara Resort

Apricot Hotel

Imperial Hotel
Our track record
Hear from some of our adventurers that have already ridden the rails with us.
FAQs
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