Can you take a train from Europe to Vietnam?

Can you travel to Vietnam by train?

Vietnam by train? Sure, if you’ve got the patience of a saint and a butt made of iron! Forget teleporting, you’re in for a journey.

North-South Railway (Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City): This bad boy is the big cheese. Think of it as Vietnam’s version of a cross-country road trip… but on rails, and slower. Seriously, slower.

Hanoi-Hai Phong: Shorter than my attention span, but hey, Hai Phong’s cool. Seafood and stuff.

Hanoi-Lao Cai: Lao Cai’s near Sapa. Rice terraces galore! Hope you packed your hiking boots—and a good book for the train ride.

Like, yeah, you can train it around Vietnam. It’s like deciding to walk across the country instead of flying. You can, but why?

• Expect a long ride: We’re talking days, not hours, on the North-South line. Get comfy and I mean really comfy.
• Scenery is neat: It’s better than staring at the back of an airplane seat, I guess. Rice paddies! Water buffalo! Chickens crossing tracks!
• Book in advance: Especially during, like, any holiday ever. You don’t want to be stuck sleeping in the aisle, unless that’s your thing, no judgements.
• Bring snacks: Train food is… well, let’s just say it’s an experience. Stock up at the local market before you hop on board.
• Be prepared for delays: Trains in Vietnam operate on Vietnam time, you know? Chill.
• Cabins vary in comfort: Hard sleeper is, yeah, hard. Soft sleeper? A bit less hard, but still not exactly the Ritz.
• North-South railway highlights:
  • Hanoi: Capital chaos!
  • Hue: Ancient vibes.
  • Da Nang: Beaches!
  • Ho Chi Minh City: Bustling madness!
• Remember travel time: It’s a slow trip.

So, can you travel Vietnam by train? You betcha! Should you? That’s a question only your inner masochist can answer. I mean, adventurer! Yes, adventurer.

Can you travel from Europe to Asia by train?

Dude, yeah, you totally can! I mean, it’s a mega-long trip, like, seriously long. The longest train route, right? It goes from, get this, Portugal – Lagos, all the way to freakin’ Singapore. People call it the “Train Silk Road,” which is kinda cool, I guess. It’s epic, a real adventure.

It’s not a direct route, obviously. You’ll be changing trains, lots of ’em. Think multiple countries, border crossings, all that jazz. You’ll need a serious amount of time, and planning, more than just a weekend getaway, haha. And a good map! Maybe several. Plus, you’ll need to be prepared for different train schedules and stuff. It’s nuts.

Here’s the deal:

• Crazy long: Seriously, it’s the longest.
• Many countries: Loads of them. Expect delays.
• Planning is key: Book well in advance, especially 2024.
• Cost: Expect it to be expensive. Seriously.
• Visa requirements: Double check those visas, man!

My friend, Mark, did a bit of it last year. He went from Lisbon to somewhere in Turkey. Said it was amazing, but exhausting. He mentioned something about a really cool night train in somewhere in Eastern Europe, cannot remember where exactly. He said something about a restaurant car. It was a while ago, so I’m a little hazy on the details. But, yeah, totally doable. Just be prepared for everything.

What is the cheapest way to go to Vietnam from Europe?

Oh, Vietnam. A whisper of silk and spice, a distant hum. Reaching across continents, a yearning.

Flights, the fastest path, a blur of engines and clouds. Istanbul shines, a gateway— quickest, eight hours fifty. A steal, really, at ₫21,682,755. Imagine, the scent of the plane, that brief, suspended moment.

Trains? A slow unfolding, a different kind of journey. The rhythmic clatter, a hypnotic pulse against the vastness. Sixteen hours and fifty minutes, a ridiculous price. Four hundred and ten dollars to a thousand? Madness! That’s for the combined train-flight option.

Direct flights, though. Paris, Frankfurt, Munich, London. All beckon, each a portal to the East. Prices vary wildly, twenty-seven, thirty-one million dong. Eleven hours, maybe thirteen—a small price to pay for that breathtaking sunrise over the Mekong.

• Fastest: Direct flights from Istanbul (8h 50m) – Cheapest among direct flights.
• Cheapest (but slower): Train and fly combo (16h 50m) – A significant price range, though.
• London: Direct flight, around 14 hours, price in the millions of Dong.
• Paris & Frankfurt: Comparable prices, around 11 hours flight times.
• Munich: Slightly more expensive direct flight, a bit quicker.

The ocean’s vast breath. Time stretching, thinning, collapsing. The cost, a mere detail against such an immense experience. Will I go? Of course. Soon. I need that heat. I need that scent. The journey itself, the anticipation, already a thousand small victories.

Can you travel from Portugal to Vietnam by train?

Ugh, Portugal to Vietnam by train? Forget about it!

I actually looked into that crazy idea back in 2023, because, I dunno, I was bored and dreaming of epic trips.

It quickly became clear a direct train? Pffft, nope.

• No direct route exists.

• Railway lines just… stop.

• Massive oceans kinda get in the way.

I mean, imagine the planning.

Europe by train, easy peasy. Then, somewhere in Asia… blamo!

Need a boat, maybe a plane. Total mess. My grandad, though, he would’ve loved the challenge! He always said, “Never say never,” that old goat!

Plus, think of the visas. So many visas. I’d need like, a whole new passport just for that one trip. Nope. Nah. No thanks.

My sister, Maria, actually did a similar thing. She went from Spain to China, but she hopped on a cargo ship! Madness.

Can I take a train from Bangkok to Vietnam?

Trains to Vietnam? Oh, honey, that’s like asking if unicorns deliver mail. Technically, no.

Think of the rail lines as spaghetti – Bangkok’s got a plate, Phnom Penh too. But Vietnam? All broth, no noodles.

• Bangkok to Phnom Penh: Two trains, chug-chug.
• Phnom Penh to Vietnam: Bus time! Buckle up, buttercup.
• Alternative Routes: Flying, which is less “charming” than a rickety bus, but faster. (Unless, of course, your bus decides to take a scenic detour…through a rice paddy.)

Why no train? Blame geography, maybe? Or perhaps they just haven’t gotten around to it. I blame the unicorns. They probably ate the tracks. Personally, I prefer my Vespa anyway. Less room for rice paddy detours. Trust me.

How to get from Europe to Asia without flying?

Europe to Asia without flyin’, eh? Piece of cake, if you got, like, weeks to spare. Trains, baby, trains!

• Portugal to Vietnam: The mother of all train trips. 17000 km? That’s like, uh, a lot of potatoes end to end. Probably lasts longer than my last relationship.
• Trans-Siberian Express: Moscow to Beijing in only six days? That’s faster than my grandma can knit a sweater! Bucket list material, they say.
• Sustainable travelling: Cuz, you know, gotta save the planet. One slow train at a time, I always say.

Think of it as an iron snail across the continents. Sure, you’ll see more of Siberia than you ever wanted, but hey, at least you didn’t get crammed into a metal tube with screaming babies. Bonus: you can knit your own sweater on the Trans-Siberian, competing with grandmas everywhere. Just try not to spill your borscht.

Is there a train from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh?

A train from Hanoi to Saigon? Seriously? Like riding a slow-motion, land-based cruise ship… across Vietnam. Well, alrighty then.

Yup, there are trains. Five of ’em, apparently. They scoot daily between Hanoi Railway Station and Saigon Railway Station, probably slower than my grandma on a Sunday stroll.

Think SE7, SE5, SE9, SE3, and SE1. Sounds like a droid army lineup from a cheap sci-fi flick, doesn’t it?

Takes about 31 hours, 25 minutes. Whoa! That’s longer than it takes to binge-watch every season of my fave show. I could knit a sweater, write a novel, or learn to play the ukulele in that time, for Pete’s sake!

Why take the train?

• Scenery! Supposedly, you see stuff. Fields, water buffalo, maybe a runaway cyclo. Intriguing.
• Budget travel! Cheaper than flying? Probably, if you don’t factor in the cost of snacks for 30-plus hours. Think instant noodles, banh mi, and questionable street eats. Yum?
• Adventure! You’ll definitely have a story to tell. One that starts with, “I spent a day and a half on a train…”
• Meet interesting people! You’re practically guaranteed to meet someone weirder than my Uncle Barry at a family reunion. Imagine stories!

Things to consider (besides the obvious):

• Bring earplugs. Snoring. Chickens. Karaoke. You’ve been warned.
• Pack snacks. Unless you like playing culinary roulette with train station vendors, this is a must.
• Charge your devices. Unless staring at the back of a seat for 30 hours is your jam. No judgement.
• Patience is a virtue! Delays? Oh, honey, expect ’em like taxes.

So, yeah, a train exists. Whether you should take it is another question entirely. Depends how much you like slow travel, questionable toilets, and the company of strangers. Good luck!