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For details of the places I visited in Vietnam along the Ho Chi Minh Trail, with GPS Coordinates, see my book Vietnam Caves.

For details on motorbiking in Vietnam and Cambodia, from buying and selling a motorbike, to border crossing, see my book Motorbiking Cambodia & Vietnam.

 

This day actually begins at 9pm the previous evening. But who is counting? 🙂

It has been an adventure for me, with a lot of new experiences, and a new perspective on life. Due to many of the things that happened to me, I have managed to amass a load of information for my book. And maybe future books.

I decide to pay the extra $1 for a taxi car, rather than trying to balance both my backpacks on the back of a scooter taxi zipping trough traffic. I am dropped off just outside the bus station, and have no idea where to go. (like normal)

Hanoi train station. Picture is from when I put my bike on the train a few days back.

Within seconds, a friendly Vietnamese guy comes up to me and asks for my ticket. I show him my ticket, and he grabs my big bag and shouts over his shoulder, “come come”. I basically run after him. My train is not to depart until 11pm, and it is just after 9, but it seems i am late already by the speed this guy is going.

He leads my down a hallway, past toilets that i know i will not visit unless i risk peeing in my pants, then to a waiting area. Honestly, I could not believe that this is the waiting area for Vietnam’s Capital. (I was even more shocked when I later saw Saigon’s waiting area, as that one is really cool.) Tip, take the train up, not down, as the waiting area in Saigon is far better. 🙂

For Vietnam’s capital, this is a sorry excuse for a train station. Feels like a police station.

Doors leading to the platform.

The guy then looks around, and select a seat under a huge fan for me, so cool. He then tells me “wait, 10:40” while showing me to sit down like one do a dog. I felt like rolling over and having my belly scratched.

The waiting area has a small snack shop, and I decide that I will get some snacks just before I need to board the train. As the waiting area is filling up, I do not want to get up and lose my seat at the fan. There are 3 large doors, leading to the same platform, of which only one set is open. No need really to have the others open.

Snack shop at Hanoi train station.

30 minutes after sitting down, another guy comes to me and ask me for my ticket. I show him my ticket, and he moves me a few rows up, directly across the door that is on my ticket, that is not used! There goes my fan. Soon two other backpackers are ushered in by the guy that helped me first, and are seated way across the room. He tells them the same story, “wait, 10:40”, then he sees me and comes over to me, tell me “wait, 10:40”, then puts his hand on my shoulder. I am not sure if i should laugh or cry, so i just smile.

The time flies, and we watch some tv on a large monitor across the hall. It is 10:15pm now, and i am starting to need the toilet. I decide that i will chance the toilet, then head over to the snack shop to get provisions for the 32 hours on the train. “Come come.” I guy yells behind me, and then someone grabs my large bag. I see it is the second guy that moved me to this seat. “Ticket ticket!” he yells as he motors off towards, jup, the still only open door that i was seated across from earlier. I grab my other stuff, and make after him. Catching up to him on the platform, I hand over my ticket, and then he guns for the second last carriage, no 11. I want to take pictures, but there is no time, what happened to 10:40?

I manage to see a glimpse of him disappearing into the train, and hurry along. By the time i make it onto the train, he has already found my bunk, stowed my bag under it, and is now dragging me to it. He hands my ticket over, shows me my bunk bed number against the wall, the number on the ticket, and then holds out his hand. huh, o, tip time. No formalities here, just to the point. I have no idea what to give him, and hand him a 50K vnd (about $2 or so). The guy is very unhappy, so i ask him how much. He exclaims 100k. I do not have another 50K, so i give him the 100K I have, and ask for the 50K back. The guy is so shocked, that he cannot speak or move, so i just take my 50K back myself. Now he is really shell shocked that i would dare ask him for change on tipping him, he spins around and rushes off, trying to get to more backpackers before anyone else can, aaa, so that is why we rushed.

I lay down on my bed, and look at my jail cell for the next 32 hours, good practice for just in case.

Soon I am joined by 3 Vietnamese guys, one with a little kid that turned out to be a pleasure to ride with.

 

My bed, bottom left.

Little kid, happy as can be.

By this time I desperately need the toilet, but do not want to take all my bags with. I have red people say take your stuff with if you leave the cabin, but I think that is over reacting. I just take my wallet with, and go visit the jail toilet. (It depends on who is in the cabin with you.)

What can one say, it works.
To get to the top bunk, you fold down foot steps along the door, then make like Spider-Man.

Being tired, I try to sleep, but only manage to fall asleep at about 1am or so. Just after 5am, i am awakened by the train conductor asking if i want breakfast, chicken noodle. I am like yeh, he is like 15K. O, not all included then, here you go.

The kid’s father gives me a kind of twinkly, and a small packet that have fudge like sweets in, cool.

Breakfast comes at about 7, and is soup.

The stringy bits I think are chicken.

Looks better after you stirred it.

Well, at least it is something. Then a guy comes along, pushing a cart, selling coffee, tea, cold drinks, and caramel popcorn. I became a regular customer ha ha ha.

The guy ran out of popcorn the next day, ha ha ha

Caramel popcorn and coffee, I am saved

Outside each door, is a box saying emergency tools, I had to look.


I am not sure if this is for escaping the train in case of a fire, or for if you cannot sleep because your jail buddies snore.

As the miles fly by, I try to write as much as I can. Take as many pictures of the countryside that looks cool, and amuse the kid with the map application on my iPad, linked to the GPS device, that allows me to show him exactly where we are. He goes through all the names of the towns we are passing, having a blast.

A few hours into the trip, one of the other two Vietnamese guys gets off. The conducted waists no time. He basically drags the guy off the bunk, and then rips the blankets off and throws a new set on the bed, not making it. The train stops for such a short time, that i do not even have time to take pictures. Looking out the window, I realize that this guy was the only one getting off at this station, and the train almost missed the stop, ha ha ha.

Time flies by, in ultra slow motion. The ride is not as scenic as taking the mountain road with a bike, but i still manage to get a few good shots on the trip. Lunch and dinner comes and goes, being chicken and rice.

Lunch. The small plastic bag is soup. Trains, airplanes and jails, I think they have the same caterer.

Dinner is the same as lunch, one drumstick, some rice, and soup. (and popcorn). There was a lady that passed us pushing a trolly, selling extra pieces of chicken, and spring rolls. The whole meal cost 45K ($2) So at dinner i decide i am going to have an extra piece of chicken, and point to it. The lady grabs a polystyrene plate, and throws a chicken piece and two spring rolls on it, dump some red source over it, and go, 40K. The speed that she did it with, took me totally by surprise, man that is selling. So i cough up. (Tip, in Asia, if it looks red, it is probably not catchup).

I dig in, and start sweating even though the aircon is going full blast. Then my nose starts running, by eyes starts watering. My mouth goes numb and my taste buds are scorched for life. I start to struggle to breathe, and beg for the guy with the trolly full of drinks. By this time, I am not sure if it is sweat or tears running down my cheeks. And i may be drooling, but since i cannot feel my lips anymore, there is no telling. Somehow, i just managed to swallow a dragon, and it is breathing fire in my mouth.

Finally the guy with the drinks show up, and i buy two ice tea drinks. They cost around 15K each, and i give him 100K. I down one drink in the time he manages to get my change, then grab the change, not caring if it is correct, as i open the second bottle. I think he sensed i was in need, for about 10 minutes later he comes around again, and i get some more drinks.

After drowning the dragon, (who needs a sword and shield), i try to get some sleep, but it is hard going.

Almost every time I venture out of my prison cell, I see this dude down the passage. He reminds me of an undercover spy.

Soon we stop at yet another station, and the second Vietnamese guy gets off. This time, the conductor just shakes him awake, then starts pulling the blankets out from under him as the guy is struggling to get off the bed. This must be normal, as no one says anything or seems to be fazed by it. Then, at another station, a young couple gets on, and gets in the cabin next to me. They are traveling to Hoi An, the old coastal town I stayed two days in on my ride up.

The closer we get to Hoi An, the more they ask the conductor when we are going to be there. He keeps updating the time for them, saying in how many hours, and then later minutes we will stop at the station, yet they cannot put it together to realize the exact time we will stop. They also keeps asking him when the train will be in Hoi An, apparently not realizing that even though the ticket you book says Hoi An, the train actually does not stop there but in Da Nang, a one hour bus ride away. I only smile as i think about the shock they will be in, realizing that they have to book another bus, or take a taxi to where they thought they booked a train ticket to.

Night soon falls, and I try to sleep some more. At one point, we stop at a station for about 10 min, and i drag myself out of bed to the toilet. The guy and his kid are asleep, so i close the door, taking only my wallet with. (threw my blanket over my iPad.) The bathroom window is pulled down (for the smell), and as i look outside, people are trying to sell me stuff while i am on the toilet. So i pull the window up and close it. (my ass does not stink, it smells like roses.) After relieving myself, i make my way back to my cabin, only to find the door open and an old lady inside. The guy and his kid is gone.

Immediately i check my backpack for my iPad and other stuff, but she cares less and tries to sell me stuff. She actually came onto the train seeing me in the toilet and searched for me to sell me sunglasses (at night) and bread rolls. Nothing is gone, so i sling the backpack over my shoulder and leave the cabin, closing the door, then head outside to get some fresh air. Here i find the guy and his kid, also getting some fresh air. (Note, if the train stops, take your stuff with you if you go to the toiler, or rather wait.)

Shops selling you stuff, even if you are on the loo. Imagine sitting on the toilet, and someone tries sticking a bread roll through the window to sell to you.

Soon we are off again, and i try to get some more sleep, but it is hard. Another couple gets on the train, this time in our cabin. They are also going to Saigon. I pass out, and get some rest. Morning comes, and I await breakfast, yet it never comes.

I snap some pictures. Along the way we pass some bikers and I wave to them. They return the wave and invite me to join then. I wish I could mate.

 

Due to the train going down, it takes 32 hours and not 36, so there is no time for breakfast. I check my iPad, and when we are about 15 minutes away, i pack my stuff up, and get ready. They guy and his kid have been ready for the past half hour, and so to most of the other people on the train, many waiting in the walkway.

As i check that all my stuff is there, i reach over to the top bunk across from me, and awake the girl and tell her that we will soon be in Saigon. She just rolls over, then sleep a bit longer. Eventually she gets up as her partner gets up. We are now about 5 min from the station, and they get their toothbrushes out to go and freshen up. I laugh as i head out of the cabin, the train already coming to a stop. They may find their stuff piled in the walkway when they come back from the washroom.

As i am only 2 1/2 km from the hotel i stayed in when i arrived in Saigon, i decide to walk to it, and work the popcorn off i ate on the train. My motorbike is suppose to arrive today as well, but i decide i will go to the station myself tomorrow, even though they said they will call when it is ready. I do not really trust that calling part.

Saigon train station

As i pass by the train, I notice the engine bay is open.

Now this is what the Vietnam’s capital train station should look like.