Vietnam Trains - Chalk It Up To Experience

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When we boarded the train at 7:30pm in Mui Ne, we thought we were looking at a 11 hour train ride to Hoi An (according to the travel agent). We are directed to our sleeping car where we meet our companions for the journey. It'll be a quiet journey as the Vietnamese family we are with speaks no English and Mark makes a great first impression by stepping on her sheet with his shoes...she flipped out. About 4 hours in, I take a look at the schedule which indicates we arrrive at 3pm and after some investigating, it's confirmed. It's a scheduled 20 hour train ride. It turned out to be pretty entertaining. They family showed us how to make the bed, eat the meals and even offered us some of their personal hard boiled duck fetus (we passed). We arrived an hour later than expected, but the countryside was beautiful the whole way and I'm glad I was able to see it. I'll chaulk it up a cultural experience.

Mark & myself made a b-line for the hotel where the rest of the group was staying and immediately we fell back in with them. The city was an amazing older city that really felt its age. The streets were narrow and some still cobble stone. The old quarter was lined with art galleries and cafes where there was little to no vehicle traffic. Most of the group was having suits/shirts/shoes made from the 800+ tailors and shoemakers in the city. The fitting and adjustments took up a lot of time while I wandered the city stopping in shops and drinking lots of coffee.

The second night in town, I joined the group for a traditional vietnamese cooking class. The food was amazing but I'm guessing I won't be able to recreate it back home. After the train ride, I passed on the next leg from Hoi An to Hanoi and instead I booked a flight which cost $20 more than the train ticket. This is a city I wish I had more time to explore. I found the people here to be much more welcoming that the previous cities and just an overall better energy. I would depart the group for good now while I shot up for a quick trip to Hanoi and Halogn Bay.

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Photos

Sleeping Compartment
We had the middle bunks, but this was it after the family left in the morning.