Vietnamese train. Travel from Hanoi to Sa Pa Bashny.Net

What could be the expectations of the train trip to South-East Asia?
How many people stuffed in one compartment? Are there toilets at all? Standing or have to sleep sitting up, clutching their belongings? Dining car? There is a dining car? And that it is prepared?
And so, on the first night after arrival in Vietnam, we went to the central railway station in Hanoi to get answers to these questions - we was coming the first of many journeys around the country - to the very north, in the province of Lao Cai to the Chinese border
28 Photo © Sergey Anashkevich





2. Transfer an integral part of any trip. While on the move around the country you get a lot of new experiences, meet people, see the non-tourist side of the place on which you travel and just ordinary life of this country.
In this journey we are on Vietnam are many crossings all possible kinds of transport - rickshaws and motorbikes, cars and regular bus, fishing boats and a large ship with a 5-star cabins, domestic flight and trains.
On the train we started on the first day.
At twenty-nine in the evening, the central train station in Hanoi, called Ha Hanoi.
From here, our overnight train SP-1 Hanoi-Lao Cai that will take us to the very north of Vietnam.



3. So look at our train tickets.
I must say that SP-1 - is the most comfortable type of train (first class), which runs on Vietnam. There is SP-2 (second class). On it and the tickets are cheaper and simpler terms ... to put it mildly.
Distance from Hanoi to Lao Cai approximately 400 kilometers, the train leaves at 21.15 and arrives at the final station at 06.30. Our ticket costs about $ 40 per person one way and that by local standards are very very expensive and do buy tickets at the train station is not possible. Why? I'll explain below.



4. Going to transfer to its platform saw the scene as conductors are loaded into the car fresh linens.
They do it right through the window of the car. Why? Because this is the only possible way. Passage through the carriage doors and narrow so that large bales of sheets and duvet covers just will not work)



5. And on the roof of the car is already waiting ...
Three guys sitting comfortably on an installation for air-conditioning car



6. We are met by the smiling conductor. While I was being photographed, Sasha struggles to squeeze through the narrow door of the car. Seriously, with a backpack on his shoulder, he took it a push, with a slight acceleration)



7. Passage in the sleeping car.
To say that he narrow - to say nothing. Two people here not to miss not at all, and the luggage on the way to his compartment need to push ahead. If the bag is not very big ... Big simply will not work.



8. And it is our compartment. According to the class it analogue sleeper in our trains.
There are four shelves, wood paneling inside, curtains, clean bed made, air conditioning, electrical outlet, and a bottle of water for each passenger. This condition wagon luxury train Vietnamese SP-1.
I have already said that in a normal box office tickets in the station wagon to buy this impossible. Why? Because these cars do not belong to the superior rail, they are private and tickets are sold only in special booking-offices. And there are as many as 40 dollars!
How do they differ from ordinary first-class train carriages? Let's go take a look.



9. Go to a regular car.
Immediately noticeable is completely different finishes - wood panels instead of the usual plastic.
A narrow passage, to stimulating sports lifestyle



10. And this is a common Vietnamese compartment in the train of the first class.
And if, in contrast to our CB Vietnamese Army has not two, but four beds, the coupe has a six on three shelves.
As the saying goes, travel comfortably by train external hard drives)
In this composition were only compartment cars, just different classes - for 4 persons and 6.
Couchette car ride trains SP-2



11. Toilet Vietnamese trains first class.
No water on the floor and on the walls of blackness, as often happens in our compartment carriages



12. A toilet is in a car with a 6-berth compartments.
This is simply a hole in the floor. Everyone understands that it is important to luck that the train was not a passenger who has stomach problems ...



13. Wash. It is not in the toilet compartment, and opposite him in the hallway, so if you want to wash in the morning, no need to wait until someone first will deal with your indigestion.



14. In the car-coupe with three shelves washbasin in two cups since people in the car rides more.
Near the boiler with cold water and hot water.
Just remember our antediluvian boilers opposite compartment conductor.
See again the plastic chair? And he was 7 photo.
This place is a conductor.
Yes, not two compartments as we have - a service on two beds and a compartment where the conductor sits at the usual time, but just high chair. Separate compartment in which you can still contrive to sell the place, no Vietnamese conductor.



15. While the need to sleep conductor, and he still has a place for this, as eloquently says this plate.
Here are just a sleeper is a very narrow niche at floor level, which is located under the cabinets with electric car



16. In the 13th car fire extinguisher is not one but two.
The Vietnamese are very superstitious



17. Head of the train carries bypassing cars.
Conductors hardly sit on his chair.
In his spare time, they constantly wipe mop the floor in the car and toilet ...



18. Just as in our trains are the carriages run sellers beer and water.
With the move they claim a high price, but if a good bargain, will give a discount)



19. Beer is bought and Sasha Kosenko tells about local trains ...



20. I could not deny myself the pleasure to visit a Vietnamese restaurant car.
Two hours after the departure of the train is not a lot of people here and all visitors - foreigners.
Generally, it must be said that most of the train passengers were foreigners who travel to Sapa - in just incredibly beautiful place and can easily afford a ticket for $ 30-40.



21. And here is the conductors pass the time in their smartphones.
In their cars they do not want to sit, because the need to immediately take up the mop, so they tusyat in the restaurant car



22. Sasha trolls local chef, making him the remark that he had too little stomach how to cook.
Vietnamese disagrees, and says that he has a good belly and feeds it into the dining car well



23. We go to him in the kitchen ...
In the menu, only one dish - noodle soup and spinach.
The chef puts on the fire water spinach rolls back and looks on the shelf noodles ...



24. Five minutes noodle soup and spinach ready.
I must say very tasty!
In general, the first visit to the restaurant car was not a failure)



25. The Vietnamese love with pictures, especially with Europeans.
Making Self memory Vietnamese conductors



26. Six in the morning, Lao Cai.
It's pretty cool and occasionally pouring rain.
Well, this is Vietnam, where it is normal



27. A train stands in front of our SP-2.
It differs, of course, considerably.
Glass? Nooo, the glass on the windows - it's expensive!
Fine mesh - it. Perhaps we still happen to ride here, just among the crowds of Vietnamese ...



28. The central train station of Lao Cai is very different from Hanoi ...
It is the north of Vietnam. Hence we still have about an hour to go to Sa Pa, where we will spend the next two days ...