Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Hieu Huynh]

This is the first time that I will be really be travelling on my own and am a little nervous about it. I'll be doing the SEA thing. Will be leaving Feb 26th. Am going to do it ass-backwards so I can meet my parents in Vietnam first. So will be travelling from Ho Chi Minh up to Hanoi. My questions is I was thinking about taking the train. May be a silly question but how does it work with a train because I would like to see places like Hoi and Hue on the way up. Can I just get off the train at these points and come back on a day or so after? Maybe someone out there has a better idea to get myself up north and be able to experience the towns and cities in between. I will only have about 10 days or so in Vietnam.

Thanks in advance!!
HEEEEEELP MEEEEEE PLEEZ

[the saint]

well we didn't take the train. We spent 12 days in Vietnam and we flew into Ho Chi Minh and then flew to Dalat, car to Cam Ranh, flight to Nha Trang (for Hoi An) and then flight up to Hanoi. The train takes a couple of days to do a similar route so your itinerary is going to be fast paced if you only have ten days and want to see Hue as well as HCM, Hanoi and Hoi An.

If you want to know more about our trip, check out this site

http://www.johnandsheena.co.uk/sea/tour.html

enjoy!

[desultude]

I took the train from Saigon to Da Nang a few years ago.

It was a train that left the station at 11 PM. I had a sleeper car with three Viet Namese and their produce. We spent the first hour listening to railroad propaganda, both in English and Viet Namese. "This is the people's railraod, yada, yada, yada." Including "there will always be toilet paper in every car on the people's railroad". Um, not.

We were awakened at 6 AM with more propaganda, morning exercises, and breakfast noodles.

At 7 AM we were startled when the train threw on its breaks, and my car came to rest on the body of a local child. Some train personnel got off, went under the car and wrapped the body in a tablecloth, handed it to a wailing mother, amidst the whole wailing village, and we departed.

It really wasn't a bad trip. Good air con.

[Hieu Huynh]

Thanks for the help you guys! I appreciate it.

Can any of you tell me if it would be cheaper to get a flight to Hanoi to Laos when I'm in Vietnam or do it while I'm still in Korea?

[the saint]

[b_canadian_eh]

Took the train from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi about a month ago... totally worth it if you have the time and are wanting to stop over. Plan it so you travel alot of it by night, get a sleeper. Wake up at your destination. And the sights are nice, especially the chunk after Da Nang.

[kalkamagi]

if you decide on a long train trip, be sure to pack some sandwiches. the food they serve on the train is quite terrible. suffice it to say that ramen was the most edible thing we saw.