VIETNAM Railways has upgraded its passenger carriages to five-star standard for trains on its north-south express services, and plans to build two new five-star trains before end-2015.
Upgraded at a cost of about US$3.8 million, the first luxury trains come with uniformed staff and international-standard services including upgraded ticketing, TVs, a cafeteria, newspaper kiosks and free Wi-Fi.
The new express trains run daily between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, completing the journey in 31 hours, comprising 11 passenger cars, two service cars and 31 personnel. During peak season, each train can accommodate 508 passengers.
Diethelm Travel Vietnam’s business development leader, Hue Nguyen, said: “This is a much-needed change that might attract both domestic and international travellers, but not particularly the high-end traveller.”
“(But) as all trains in Vietnam are old Russian models, do not expect exceptional quality, especially compared with Europe. The trade-off is that you will get an authentic experience of travelling in a South-east Asian country.”
Much of Vietnam’s railway infrastructure deteriorated following war damage, said Nguyen. “I think the point is that no trains in Vietnam live up to the term ‘five-star’, nor can they live up to the word ‘express’. Let’s wait and see the new service proving itself.”
However, Diethelm Travel Vietnam’s product manager Quan Do, said the upgraded carriages could encourage train tours that have been hindered by carriage quality and other factors.
By Louis Allen.
