Violette Express Train

Good way to travel but felt dirty and it was so hard to youse the toilets when the train was moving due to the water splashing around. Got a cute welcome bag with snacks tho

the driver threw us in a lost place where there was no way for us to find a bus or a taxi.

Was comfortable nice air con but was advertised as free Wi-Fi which there wasn’t any so that’s why it dropped a star

Мне понравилось, хотелось опробовать вьетнамские железные дороги. Чисто, по расписанию, проводник приветливый. Особо поспать не удалось, потому что как-то сильно трясло и потом все время волнуешься, что проедешь свою станцию. В этом смысле конечно лучше ехать подольше, например часов 17. Смыв в туалете не работал, но можно было воспользоваться туалетом в соседнем вагоне. В вагоне прохладно, кондиционер работал исправно. Разносят бесплатную воду в бутылках.

No sope to wash hands. Toilet could be more clean p

Very nous train, very hard to fallo a sleep

It was easy to exchange voucher for ticket at da nang station, which gives coach and cabin number. The trip to Saigon went well. The standard didn't quite meet that of Laman Express, but it also wasn't as expensive as Laman. It was great to view vietnamese countryside along the way.

No Violette carriage from Da Nang to ho chi Minh city. So put in 1st class ac. Bed clothes strewn across carriage from previous occupants. Toilet unusable if you need to sit. Thankfully I didn't. Best thing were the train staff. Lovely helpful people. Oh did I mention sharing my bed with 3 cockroaches?

Really good cabin, clean, felt safe, just the air con is pretty cold - so dont forget extra jacket, right in time

Toilets were gross and we didn’t get offered any food.

Punctual departure, clean sleeper accommodation.

I had come to Vietnam to travel the country by train and was not expecting high standards of any type, The trains and station facilities are very basic and there is a definite lack of information for tourists, no help from staff at station not a word then again nobody in this country seems to want to engage with tourists or not me at least ??? I have enjoyed my train journeys and I’ve seen some fantastic scenery along the way and would recommend you for yourself however just don’t expect high standards that you may be used too in your own country. I paid for violette train SE3 which should have had luxury compartments as in the description and cost was far higher than standard price ??? Apparently this was the only ticket available so I had no choice, standard is always good enough for me. There was a woman sitting at a small desk at the station where I swapped my voucher and was given a ticket for getting through the automatic barriers. I boarded at Danang and my cabin was very dirty from previous occupants from Hanoi to Danang, there was lots of insects crawling on the walls, the bedding had been used already and just simply folded for me to reuse. I quickly realised that my compartment was no different to any other compartment on the train regardless of ticket type you paid for so makes me wonder why I had to pay far more for the same thing ? I arrived at Nah Trang 20 minutes late, not bad for over 9 hour journey. Go for it and give it a try but don’t expect too much, certainly don’t expect a Vietnamese to acknowledge you or speak to you, maybe push you out the way, give you dirty looks, run off with your change !

Per 60 euro mi aspettavo servizio diverso, invece le cuccette del treno erano tutte uguali. Se quello era un letto morbido poi... era semirigido diciamo. L'unica cosa positiva è che ti forniscono da bere e da mangiare qualche snack.

Following the instructions in the voucher, we approached the coach we had been assigned. However, we were not allowed to get on the train because we had not exchanged the voucher for a ticket and, after 15-20 minutes, we were asked to get on a standard coach which did not correspond to the VIP coah we had paid for. Very disappointed.

Excellent the best Sleeper Train we have have used so far. More room than previous trains and more modern.

The train was clean, bathrooms were fine, slept well. Individual lights and charger ports

Vip coach only means different sheets and drinks and a crisp. The beds are the same and the noise also

Not comfortable at all

Excellent journey, really easy to pick up tickets at Hanoi station. Comfortable couchette.

This was not a vip sleeper, despite the price we payed. Hard beds also

AC could not be regulated and it was set to VERY cold!! We were all freesing all trough the night!! VERY helpfull staff though!

Had a very nice trip with our family (3 kids, 6-9 years old). Cabin cool and clean. Toilet very dirty.

Our VIP sleeper was very comfortable and clean. We used it with 2 adults and 3 kids (6-9). The toilet is far from clean, that is a pity.

Vi havde en fin togtur. Vognen var ok ren og pæn. Dog så vi en lille mus under et af vores sæder. Desuden kunne rude med fordel gøres ren, så man kunne se mere ud af den. Men samlet er vi fint tilfredse.

Noisy and very bumpy. Not very comfortable

Nice train ride but very noisy and hard to sleep

Very clean. 4little bottles of water en 4 bananas on the table. Not European comfort, but top experience !

Quality of the sanitary and cabines very very bad. Would not recommend to book with this company.

Cheap enough and comfortable enough. The toilets were disgusting and the mouse in our cabin was a good bunk mate for the cockroaches. Couldn’t wait to get off. The staffs were very pleasant and helpful though. Very long trip.

Arrangements by 12goasia were excellent and it was easy to board the train. Berth on train was OK, but could have been quieter and more comfortable. The bunks did not fold away and travelling during the day was uncomfortable.

We travelled from Danang to Saigon on VIP TICKETS. The voucher that we had printed stated the carriage number but had no cabin number. It stated that on this trip, you showed the voucher as you boarded. Don’t do this! Ensure you know your cabin number before. We tried to get on our stated coach number (11a)for train SE 1 but were pointed in the direction of another coach. Now slightly panicked with lots of luggage in 38 degree heat, we rushed to coach 9 and boarded. We still didn’t know cabin number! Luckily the guard phoned through our booking number and found out. Unfortunately, we had been put in first class cabin, not VIP. We had the free drinks etc but had to share with a stranger. We payed £200 for three people and therefore expected to have the cabin to ourselves. The VIP cabins had all been taken by a tour company. The rest of the trip was as expected - beds a bit hard, bumpy , noisy ride, not much sleep, air con stopped for a while so everyone sweating (sorted quickly once we complained). The other difference between our coach and the VIP coach was the toilets. They had loo paper and western toilets, we had squat toilets. However, at least we could wander into the VIP cabin and use theirs!

VIP Sleeper - Hanoi - Hue Wasn't so bad at all clean beds toilets, of course, wasn't great but did the job. Just luck on who's in a cabin with you and next door regarding noise.

Everything went smoothly. Regular refreshment carts. Clean and comfy rooms/beds

A good way to travel longer distances. With our family we had a 4 person sleeping room. That was great. The train was clean, only the toilets not. But it as about you could expect in a full train. The continuering annoncements on every stations could better be skipped. Food was good and for a good price. Booking in avance was easy. We also tried to book from Da Nang to Hue, but all beds we occupied. So make your reservation as soon as possible.

Everything was as expected. Great experience! Bed a little bit hard and toilet blah but nothing we hadn't planned on.

When I tried to pay online my bank tagged this as a possible fraudulent site, so that was a pain getting that sorted, but once I had my ticket, it was an easy process. Counter to exchange your voucher for a ticket was well displayed once you enter Hanoi Station and there were clear instructions provided prior. I would have liked the opportunity to select my bunk, as I was on the top and apart from it being an acrobatic feat to get up there, your view is very limited. I ended up in the dining car for breakfast and had a good view from there. Bunks were hard, certainly not soft as advertised. But all in all a great experience.

We had a ticket, but the coach nummer was not mentioned. So, very confusing by which coach nummer we need to check in. The train is ok. Airco on the train to hot or to cold (you can not set the temperature in each separate cabin). Next time I would take the plane, but the kids loved the train

We booked the SE3 train from Hanoi to Danang. We booked 2 berths, aware that we could be sharing our room, we had read about roommates who weren’t so good and recently were told of an unpleasant experience, yes it’s a gamble. We were fortunate to have a lovely young couple from our own country. Clean sheets and duvets/pillows. Bananas, a chocolate bar, water and hand wipes were provided. Just as I had read about. The toilet was ok, I have seen worse in other other country’s, yes it’s small, yes it’s old, the water level is quite high so that can splash about, we took our own toilet paper but there was some provided. Yes the train goes clickity clack, we had ear plugs and that helped, all 4 of us thought we had a reasonable sleep. There was a lady with a food trolley selling drinks and snacks. Ticketing was easy, we handed our voucher over and our carriage and bed numbers got written on it. The train left on time but arrived 30 min late. We had a good experience, as I had hoped from reading other positive reviews.

Very nice train, clean, with helpful staff that tells you when it's your stop. The train arrived at its destinatioon only 15 minutes later than planned, so overall pretty punctual. Check-in procedure was very nice, I didnt even have to wait in line in Hanoi station (but then again I got there well in advance). You get food on the train, but it's only 1 banana and 1 cookie so make sure you take something for yourself as well. Much less noisy and uncomfortable than the 'regular' sleeper trains by Vietnam Railways. I recommend!

The train ride was fine, we took our own hand soap and toilet paper. We had booked the whole cabin and slept reasonably well. Only problem was the cockroaches and fleas.

Excellent accommodation bottled water chocolates fruit and wipes were supplied. Remember if you are taller than 6 Foot you may be wedged into the bed bunk. Everything was great

nice travel

The trip was well organised and easy to exchange vouchers. Clear and accurate information. The only reason I’m giving a 4 is because I was in a top bunk on the train - close to the air con (which is centrally controlled) and I was freezing all night despite wearing several layers. Not 12go Asia’s fault but the train company won’t ask for feedback so have to write it here.

Very happy. A great experience for our family.

Fine cabin but a little dirty toilet. But overall an ok trip

Toilet was not very nice and we had problem with doors to the berth.

Not our idea of luxury. There is no difference in the cabins so better to book direct at the station. Toilet dirty and no paper. Cabin dirty with cockroaches. Had to share with 2 men who got on later. Not worth the money! Only saving grace was the scenery as we left Da Nang

Muy dificil el cambio del voucher por los tickets , no hay una oficina para este tramite, poca información El tren es viejo y remodelado, es puntual y bastante limpio, podrían dejar mas elementos de cortesía

Boarding was very quick and smooth and the train left on time. Like other travellers have commented the train was very noisy and rattled and bumped its way to Da Nang where we departed for Hoi An. Shared the cabin with a number of insects and a tiny mouse who was intent on eating our complimentary chocolate bar which he had half achieved by the time we got off. It was an experience but an ok one!

You know, lots of negative comments on here and I’m reading some validity in many, but I think some expectations might have been off. Did Hanoi to Denang sleeper with hubby and two sons, so had a cabin to ourselves, which I think makes a HUGE difference. You can’t control for bunk mates. Bedding clean but not sparkling white. Toilets sloshed a bit yup. It’s a wobbly train. We brought wipes and toilet paper and were prepared for that. The boys LOVED the experience and the views for the last couple hours of the trip were fascinating. Boarding the train in Hanoi was fine. Had arranged for a driver with the hotel at the small Denang station, so the logistics worked. Really glad we did it. A fun part of the trip. Would I do it agaiin? Since flying is similar price and so much quicker probably not, but really am glad we did it for this leg. Bring your own food. Particularly breakfast.