Sam Nguyen
Travelled to 6 countries / regions
Written 33 briefs
I am a Vietnamese local living in Ho Chi Minh City
Asia
>
Vietnam
>
Da Nang
>
Useful Info
Submitted on Aug 06, 2019
Useful Info
Best way to get to Da Nang from Hanoi
- Danang is 770km south of Hanoi, and there are a lot of options to get there
- The most popular option is by flight, but it's also possible to travel by train and bus
- Personally I recommend flying because it's quick and it's not that expensive. It's basically the same price as the train but taking a fraction of the time
- Flight from Hanoi to Danang (best option):
- Flying is the most popular and best way to travel to Danang from Hanoi
- Fare is $20-$35 USD per person each way
- Flight time is a short 1h20min, total travel time is around 3.5 hours
- Lots of flights everyday, almost all airlines in Vietnam fly this route, including Vietjet Air, Vietnam Airlines, Jetstar, and Bamboo Airways. There are at least 20 daily departures from as early as 6am to as late as 9:30pm
- How to take train from Hanoi to Danang (also a great option if you're not in a particular rush):
- There are also many train options connecting these two cities, from cheap hard seats to luxury sleepers
- Aside from the state-owned Vietnam Railways, which runs the main service, there are a number of private luxury overnight trains for you to choose from, but they all take 15.5-16 hours each way
- Departure is from Hanoi Railway Station, and arrival is at Da Nang Railway Station. Both are centrally located with a few dollar taxi ride to the city center
- Train option 1: Vietnam Railways (budget train option)
- The main train operator in Vietnam
- If you're on a budget, choose them because they have cheap seating (non-bed) option
- Fares:
- Hard seat (wooden seats): 342,000 VND ($15USD)
- Soft seat (standard 2nd class seats): 517,000 VND ($22.5USD)
- Hard berth (6-bed room): 640,000 - 832,000 VND ($28-$36USD) depending on top, middle, or bottom bunk
- Soft berth (4-bed room): 836,000 - 901,000 VND ($36.6-$39 USD) depending on top or bottom bunk
- You can find the current fares on their official booking website https://dsvn.vn
- Schedules:
- 6:00am -> 10:21pm
- 9:00am -> 1:06am next day
- 2:30pm -> 7:35am next day
- 7:30pm -> 11:05am next day
- 8:10pm -> 12:20pm next day
- 10:20pm -> 1:25pm next day
- Check the latest schedule from the official train ticket booking site: https://dsvn.vn
- How to book tickets for Vietnam Railways:
- Vietnam Railway's official booking website is https://dsvn.vn
- Note that if you Google search Vietnam Railways, you will come across many official-looking sites like https://vietnam-railway.com. They are NOT official websites, but rather travel agencies that mark up the prices by 40-50%. When I checked, the entire first page of Google results are agencies and not official websites
- Unfortunately, the official booking website does not accept payment by credit cards. The only payment methods accepted are local Vietnamese bank cards. So all intents and purpose you won't be able to book online without going through an agency that adds in a huge markup
- The cheapest way to book is to do it in person at the train station in Hanoi. Just go there with your passport and cash, and you will be able to buy your ticket in person. I recommend doing it a few days in advance, and if you want a sleeper, I recommend booking at least 1 week in advance
- Train option 2: Private luxury sleeper trains
- There are 3 privately-run luxury sleeper trains that travel between Hanoi and Da nang. They are: Laman Express, Livitrans Express, and Violette Express
- They're considerably more expensive than Vietnam Railways, including Vietnam Railway's soft berth (4-bed room) option
- I've never taken them before so I can't recommend the best one, but my take is that they are actually quite economical because you save one night of hotel budget, and their service is much much much better than Vietnam Railways. Their trains are also spotless, unlike Vietnam Railways which is known for dirty restrooms
- Fares:
- A ticket in 4-bed compartments: ~$70-80 USD per person each way
- A ticket in 2-bed compartments: ~$145 USD per person each way
- Schedules:
- 7:30pm -> 11:08am next day (Livitrans Express)
- 7:30pm -> 11:08am next day (Violette Express)
- 8:10pm -> 12:20pm next day (Laman Express)
- 10:20pm -> 1:58pm next day (Violette Express)
- Websites:
- Laman Express: https://www.lamanexpress.com.vn
- Violette Express: http://en.violetexpresstrain.com
- Livitrans Express: http://livitrans.com/en
- Reviews: not all of them have Tripadvisor reviews but 12Go, which is a big booking site, also collects reviews
- Reviews and pictures for Laman Express: https://12go.asia/en/operator/laman-express
- Reviews and pictures for Violette Express: https://12go.asia/en/operator/violette-express-train
- Reviews and pictures for Livitrans Express: https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g293924-d9739160-Reviews-Livitrans-Hanoi.html
- Where to book:
- You can book direct following instructions on the websites above. I don't believe any of them allow you to book with a credit card; instead, you have to email them and they will give you payment instructions. This will be the cheapest way to book
- Alternatively, you can use 12Go, which is one of the most popular sites for foreigners to book trains in southeast Asia. They're very user friendly and you can book with credit card. But the prices on there are a little higher than booking directly with the operators
- How to take bus from Hanoi to Da Nang (cheapest option):
- There are a handful of overnight bus routes from Hanoi to Danang
- They all offer what's called "semi sleeper" seats, which are giant seats that go almost flat but not completely flat (maybe 160 degrees flat). This is what it looks like:
- Fares are very cheap, usually around 340,000 VND - 450,000 VND ($15-$19.5USD) per person each way. Plus, because it's overnight you save on the hotel cost too
- Travel time is almost identical to train travel, taking 15.5-16 hours
- Departure times are either at 6pm or 6:30pm, arriving in Danang next day at 11am-noon
- These are the three operators that I know about:
- Sapa Express (probably the best one out there): Tripadvisor reviews, website
- Queen Cafe Bus: Tripadvisor reviews
- Hey Travel: Tripadvisor reviews