Serenade

We wanted to experience some part of Vietnam by train and read that the three hour stretch between Huế and Da Nang was among the prettiest the country had to offer, so we decided to make our way to our next destination, Hoi An, using that method of travel.

When we went to book, all that seemed available were sleeper cars on the regular Hanoi to HCMC trains, which we didn’t want.

We found just one train offering regular seats that left early in the morning, so we booked that one, little knowing what was in store for us.

We were unaware that just the day before, the local authorities had inaugurated a new, special Huế -Da Nang tourist train, and we were travelling on only its second run.

It was obvious when we got to the train station what a big deal this was, with signs everywhere and a shiny, new waiting room, filled with official looking people, all taking pictures.

Despite the fact that we had to drag our bags across the tracks to the train, it was obvious that this was a new train, and that they had dolled it up for the occasion.

The seats were very comfortable, and the train departed exactly on time, rolling through the outskirts of Huế towards the eastern coast of central Vietnam.

Things we expected to see on a Vietnam train:

• Jungles

• Endless shanty towns next to the tracks

• Rice fields and water buffalo

• Glimpses of palm-fringed beaches along the coast

Things we did NOT expect to see:

• A ‘dining car’ with greeters and an array of Vietnamese snacks

• A beautiful young Vietnamese woman playing the violin in said dining car, and later strolling through the passenger cars, serenading each in turn

• Potted plants in the washroom

• A book of ‘rules’ presented to us by one of the train guards

• Instead of automatic signals, men with yellow and red flags standing next to the tracks at each crossing and village station.

• Vietnamese women all dressed up posing for a group photo on the opposite track

• Fellow Vietnamese passengers sharing their food with us

The train journey was quite scenic in places, offering a variety of landscapes and views.

Mostly though, it was very jungle-y, which once again sparked a conversation between Tom and me about how soldiers during the war could have coped with such dense growth, and the realization that this is why the Americans dropped such an ungodly amount of defoliant (Agent Orange aka highly poisonous and carcinogenic dioxin) on the central part of the country.

Central Vietnam is known for its beaches and as we approached our destination, we caught sight of pristine and all but deserted curves of beautiful white sand.

The only thing that marred the view was the multiple electrical wires strung next to the train lines, which frustratingly were hung at exactly eye level.

In due time, Da Nang came into view in the hazy distance, and our short but highly entertaining journey came to an end.

Unwittingly, we had stumbled upon a quite magical slow travel experience, surely a one of a kind train ride that will be hard to top in any country.