Viet Nam's North-South railway named world's most incredible train journey
VGP - Viet Nam's North-South railway, also known as the Reunification Express of Viet Nam, was named the best among 24 world’s most incredible train journeys to book in 2025 by Australian travel magazine Lonely Planet.
Tourists can contemplate the magnificent natural beauty along Hai Van Pass
This is one of Southest Asia's best-loved railways – and one of the most epic overnight train journeys in the world. There is no more atmospheric way to haul into Viet Nam's twin metropolises of Ha Noi and Ho Chi Minh City as this train rattles through historic cities and swooshes beside spectacular coastlines.
The Reunification Express is the longest and most important railway line in Viet Nam. It carries more than 80 percent of the total passenger volume in the Southeast Asian country.
The Reunification Express was built by the French during the colonial period. The first section was built in 1899 and the whole railway was completed in 1936.
The Reunification Express uses meter gauge. The speed of trains running on meter gauge is slower than that on standard tracks. The average speed on the Reunification Express is 50 km/h (31 miles per hour).
Other incredible train journeys listed by Lonely Planet include the California Zephyr in the US, the Lake Titicaca train in Peru, the express train from Beijing to Lhasa in China, the TranzAlpine in New Zealand, and the Bergensbanen in Norway./.
