Laman Express -Tickets and online bookings

We booked this for the experience of travelling from the north to the middle of Vietnam, and it delivered what we expected. It’s an old railway line, so it’s not a smooth journey, mattresses are very firm (!), and it’s a bit noisy. Don’t book if you’re hoping for a first rate night’s sleep, but it’s fun, cosy and we were well looked after. The check in process is smooth - you’re taken from the Mango Hotel next door onto the train (you need to carry your own bag up and down a flight of steps in case that might be an issue). You’re shown to your cabin (ours was 2 bed, but was basically a 4 bed one with the top bunks put up). There is a cold beer, water, crisps and a breakfast box waiting for you (breakfast is a bread roll, banana, yoghurt, butter and marmalade). Tea/coffee is brought round. You share a loo (had loo paper in - some reviews have said that it didn’t) and washing facilities. Train stations were announced (including one at 5. 30am) and you can hear people moving around. But it’s good fun, and it’s great to be able to see parts of Vietnam you might otherwise not in the morning as you trundle along to Hue. It’s cheaper to fly, but we loved the overall experience.

We took the train from Hanoi to Da Nang in a first class cabin and couldn‘t reccomend it more. It‘s pricey, but for us, having the cabin to ourselves and being able to relax was so worth it.

We booked a first class sleeper for the 17 hour trip from Hanoi to Da Nang. Very expensive but worth it. The whole process, from booking to finding our train and compartment to arrival, went smoothly. The compartment was private, comfortable, and clean. The Laman train attendant was helpful. Beautiful views. Flying would have been cheaper, but we’re very glad we had this experience.

Having had a bad experience on the Sapa night service I was dreading the 15 hour journey from Ninh Binh to Da Nang. However I found this a much better option experience. Despite the number of passengers the check in and boarding was handled very effectively. I booked the premium cabin and it was very comfortable for 2 people. Your ticket gets you loads of extras including an adequate breakfast box. Service from an English speaking attendant was first class and he kept us well informed watered and fed. Toilet was clean despite the number people using it. Washing facilities the same. The train was quite noisy but still managed to get some good solid sleep and arrived feeling quite refreshed. Paid a lot of money for this premium service but don’t regret it.

Die Fahrt im 4 er Abteil war sehr angenehm. Die Bettwäsche ist wirklich frisch, die Toiletten und Waschbecken sind sauber. Es gibt sogar heißes Wasser (eigenen Becher und Kaffee mitnehmen 👆), eine kleine Flasche Wasser und ein kleines abgepacktes Frühstück. Wir hatten die Sitze 9 und 10, das waren die unteren beiden Liegen. Das konnten wir dem Sitzplan auf der Buchungsseite nicht entnehmen. Fazit: teuer, aber sehr zu empfehlen!

A/C worked nicely.