Top 6 best budget trains Hanoi to Sapa
There
are about 20 companies providing
trains from Hanoi to Lao Cai and vice versa. Actually they are only carriages pulled by
the same engine. Except for the supercilious Victoria Express
which serves only the guests staying at their hotel most other
trains are not very different. In this entry I want to mention 6
trains of middle class I like the most. Yeah, don't waste your
money for the expesive trains, don't waste your time searching
around the net as you will get confused with the lengthy list of
train. Note that the trains offer 2,4 and 6 berth cabins however
I just talk about 4 berth cabins which are most popular to
foreign passengers.
1 - Livitrans Express
Used to be the best option for mid range travelers when it was
launched in September 2007. Livitrans is still my first choice
for a train trip to Sapa, the train belongs to Lien Viet
corporation and fares is quite reasonable, about 38 usd a ticket
in a 4 berth cabin. What makes me like this train is that it is
available most of the time because there are up to more than 10
carriages and price never change even in peak time, please note
that most other trains have only 1 or 2 carriages and they offer
a very high price for weekends when there are many people
go to
Sapa. On Livitrans you can choose 4 berth cabins, 6 berth cabins
or VIP cabins with 2 berths if you want to have some privacy.
Unfortunately the real VIP cabins were no longer available in
Livitrans since 2012, the reason was few people could afford it.
Eventhough many new trains have come out in recent years I still
prefer Livitrans
2 - Hoa Phuong Express
Not famous as other trains as it came out only a couple of
years. Actually I was not interested in this train until last
year when I booked it for some friends of mine as the other
trains were fully booked on Labour day. To my surprise Hoa
Phuong Express is by no means inferior to other famous trains.
The cabins are designed with wooden panelled wall, bedding
facilities and lighting system are very good, the toilet is
clean and very well attended. Please note that toilet on Vietnam
trains is always a problem for international passengers as it is
dirty and smelly. Hoa Phuong does a really good job. The only
thing I don't like about this train is it departs quite late at
9.50pm. Imagine you are traveler who have checked out the hotel
at noon or come back from Halong bay trip at 4pm and you have to
hang around nearly 5 hours at the train station.
3 - Dong A Express
Not many people have heard of this train however I myself have
been on it a couple of times and was satisfied with it. Like
most other trains Dong A has first class cabins with 4 beds,
wooden wall and clean bedding facilities but basic, service on
train is pretty good, helpful and friendly staff and you don't
need to ask for the right train as their staff will escort you
to your own cabins, you get a free drink with a bottle of water
and a napkin. My tip is when we you arrive at
Lao Cai station
early in the morning all the lights will turned off in the train
and very dark. So make sure to have all your belongings with
you.
4 - King Express
One of the first companies offering overnight train service to
Sapa with sleepers. The cabins are clean but basic following the
wooden decorated form making it feels warm, you have a free
drink lplaced on the table. King Express has light yellow
old-fashioned decor, toothbrushes and toothpaste are provided
with disposable slippers. The problem is the beds are too
narrow, mattress are thin and maybe difficult for the big guys.
5 - Green Express
Green Express set off from
Hanoi quite late at 21.50 and
arrives
in Lao Cai at 5.30 early next morning, this is the last train
departing for Lao Cai in the day. The cabins were refurbished
and they look new however a bit small than average, the linen is
adequate with soft beds, blanket, pillow and a fizzy drink, the
aircon was too cold for me on the first trip and got turned off
middle of the night on way back so was really sweaty and hot,
anyway with 38 usd/ticket it was well worth the cost. After all,
don't expect too much and you will be ok
6 - Cao Son Express
A good choice if you want to keep the cost down, Cao Son Express
train is recommended for passengers
traveling with tight budget.
The cabins are basic with soft mattress and pillow, not
comfortable but clean. Make sure you just take a backpack or
small bag as there isn't much room in the carriage. There is no
meal service on board so take your own provisions. One plus for
Cao Son train is staff on train are very frienly. Ah, make sure
if you have to use the bathroom to go right when the train
departs or it will get dirty later and you need to bring toilet
paper.
