Hanoi to Da Nang @ train, bus, flight Aug 24, 2017

Was a good trip, friendly staff all around.. It's a nice train in south east Asia.. Be prepared for it. Will use again for sure

Don't forget: - warm clothes (aircon is freezing) - earplugs (lots of noisy people smoking en talking in corridors) - cleaning wipes (to clean te toilet before use, very filthy) - toilet paper (the one rol that is standing there is covered with piss) - food (or you live on grose coffee and pringles) - clean sheet or blanket (or you sleep under a used one) If you got the above list you will have a marvelous trip! Lovely vieuws! Good sleep! Nice people all around you! Enjoy your adventure!

Train on time. No issues with the ticket at all. If you have kids the prices are different check this before booking.

Overall a great trip. We both slept well and enjoyed the amazing scenery. We took plenty of provisions though there is a snack trolley. It's definitely worth making sure you have the lower bunks - you can use them as seats and there's a table for eating. Our guard was running an unofficial upgrade scam - a cabin to yourself for 30 dollars. He wouldn't come down in price.

Good trip

Very nice trip. The cabin was clean and even the toilet was clean. Friendly servixe.

No complaints really was just a little cold and the toilets were a little special !!!!!!!

Not the worst overnight train I've ever been on but close! The reviews are fairly accurate; these trains are not the cleanest, the air conditioning means you freeze in the night, the toilets may be western style but they are filthy and stink almost as bad as the ones in India and the noise from fellow passengers and the train requires headphones or earplugs to get any sleep at all. We were in first class and luckily sharing with another British couple so locked the door to the cabin almost as soon as we left Hanoi. Apparently children under 12 travel free so a number of the cabins in our coach had many more occupants than expected and the children were very noisy, running freely along the corridors, banging on doors and walls until well after 10pm and again from about 5am. The number of people in each cabin meant that a lot of the adults were also out in the corridor talking loudly... The blanket and pillows are reused without being washed between passengers, this is something that didn't even happen in India where they at least provided pillowcases which were changed each time someone left the train - luckily I had read the reviews so had a shawl which I used to cover the pillow and wore full length pjs tucked into socks with a cardigan over the top to protect against the dirty sheet and the cold! Adverts and reviews differ so it might be useful to know that on the SE1 train there was no free wifi and no meals were offered, though a woman sat at the end of the carriage with a trolley selling crisps and popcorn (when she was awake) and opened our door to ask if we wanted coffee at about 6am. Therefore it may be useful to eat before boarding the train and purchase a few items for breakfast as you'll no doubt be awake early! The views in the morning between Hue and Danang are stunning and seeing the sunrise was pretty but at £43 each it's a long, expensive and uncomfortable way of travelling. We were due to get an overnight train from Danang to HCMC but decided to have another night in Hoi An then fly (only £60 each when booked the day before). If you are backpacking and / or watching every penny then the trains in Vietnam will do their job but otherwise I'd recommend flying as they were very disappointing, particularly in comparison to the similarly priced Thai trains.

Pleasantly surprised, travelled with my husband, 2 daughters 11 & 9, we ate before boarding and just took snacks and that was sufficient. The food trolley goes past often if you need anything more. Beds were quite comfy, we all managed a good sleep, the kids slept 10 hours. Only complaint really was the toilet which we had been warned about so we took disinfectant wipes etc and limited our water intake.

Cannot complain - expectations met due to through research. Trains are basic but serviced and maintained. Staff friendly and helpful despite little English. Soft berth not that soft but surviveable. Recommend at least one train experience in Vietnam.

The bed was really hard, they said It was soft bed for First class ticket... Also someone was smoking during all night on my cabine.

Service of 12GoAsia and VN Railways are good. I loved the journey. Just one thing, please refund difference of child discounted fare which I have been charged as Adult.