Oh, Saigon
March 11, 2008
My tiredness from the night before was turning into complete exhaustion. When you're an experience junky on a whirlwind South East Asia trip, this is bound to happen at some point.
This cab driver was the first person who really tried to rip us off. It was clear that his meter was going faster than it should. On the way to the museum which was further away from our hotel, it had cost us 26,000 dong. By the time we got back to our hotel the meter said our trip cost 50,000. We knew what was going on, but weren't in the mood to duke it out with the driver. The Canadian handed him a 100,000 dong bill and asked for change. He looked at us like we were crazy.
We were leaving that night on an overnight train to Nha Trang. One of the many downsides of an overnight train is that you have to check out at noon, but you don't leave for hours. So if you want to take a shower or a nap, you're S.O.L. Our hotel was nice, but the lobby was tiny. So when we got back, the comfortable seating was all occupied by other members of the group. Fortunately, they were heading to a museum so as soon as they got up, we took over their seats and tried to get some rest.
The day seemed to go by incredibly slowly until it was finally time to go to the train station. We waited for 10 minutes or so until our train arrived. For the first time I could see the benefits of a backpack. There is a large gap between the ground and the steps onto the train. Also, the hallways and doorways of the train are narrow and the rooms are small. On this train you had to lift up the bed to store your luggage in a compartment underneath. Roommate #2 had joined the trip after a business trip to Singapore and she had a large suitcase that didn't fit underneath the seat. In the carriage, there were bunk beds for four people and we shared our room with the Canadians. The air conditioning was on full force and it was freezing. I bundled up and slept soundly despite the fact that I was on an uncomfortable mattress on a wobbly train!
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Tips for Surviving Vietnam's Overnight Trains
"The Reunification Express" is a nickname for the trains that run up and down Vietnam. Overnight trains are a cheap and efficient way to get from Saigon to Hanoi and everywhere in between. I would recommend them for those reasons, but I have to say disliked my experiences on the trains immensely. I don't want to discourage anyone from using the train because it's an experience. But this was one experience that I wished I had a little bit more knowledge of going into it! So here are a few suggestions to help you have a better overnight train experience:
BOOK IN ADVANCE
During holiday seasons or heavy travel times, you should probably book at least a week in advance for soft sleepers. Soft sleepers are the "first class" (an overstatement) of the overnight trains. There are four people to a room and mattress in them. If soft sleepers are sold out, there are probably hard sleepers available. Hard sleepers have six beds per cabin that have no mattresses and I believe the beds are wooden.
PACK LIGHT
A big suitcase will not fit underneath the beds. On some trains, even a large backpack will not fit. It's best to bring small luggage, or else you will have to leave your luggage in the center of your small cabin. Put everything you need during the journey at the top of your pack because there is limited space in the cabin to be rummaging through your stuff. Also it could be helpful to put everything you need in a smaller day pack that you can leave out.
SECURITY
We always shared our rooms with other trip mates and locked the door when everyone went to sleep. If you have to share a room with people you don't know, it's probably best to put your valuables in your money belt and sleep with it on.
CLOTHING
Bring a variety of comfortable clothes. The train cabins were usually either very hot or freezing cold. Bring eye shades and ear plugs.
BRING A SLEEP SHEET
For those of you who don't know, a sleep sheet is basically a sheet in the shape of a sleeping bag. It's a way to protect yourself from the creepy crawlies that might be lurking in a questionably clean bed. On the first leg of a train journey, there are already clean sheets on the bed. However, if you get on at some point after that, the sheets will have been used by a previous person. Some conductors were very helpful and brought clean sheets, others never came by. I didn't know what a sleep sheet was beforehand so I used sarongs to cover my bed. When I was in Hue, I found a nice silk sleep sheet for just $7.
AVOID USING THE TOILET
I don't really believe in cutting off fluids to avoid using foreign toilets, but this is the one exception. The bathrooms were terrible. It's hard enough for most Western women to squat, so imagine trying to do it on a moving vehicle that makes sudden stops. Enough said. Drinking alcohol can probably make your train ride better, but just think of all the extra bathroom trips you'll need to make...
BRING YOUR OWN FOOD
Water bottles and food were included in the soft sleeper cabins. The food was unidentifiable so we always passed on it. People usually come around to sell packaged snacks. But it's helpful to buy some bread and peanuts or a to go meal before you leave, especially for the really long rides that leave in the afternoon.
ENTERTAIN YOURSELF
Make sure you have a good book or a deck of cards with you. Train rides were a good time to have interesting conversations with my trip mates. Also, make sure to look outside the windows in the daylight hours. The one redeeming factor of the overnight trains were the great views of the countryside we saw in the afternoon and early morning!
BOOK IN ADVANCE
During holiday seasons or heavy travel times, you should probably book at least a week in advance for soft sleepers. Soft sleepers are the "first class" (an overstatement) of the overnight trains. There are four people to a room and mattress in them. If soft sleepers are sold out, there are probably hard sleepers available. Hard sleepers have six beds per cabin that have no mattresses and I believe the beds are wooden.
PACK LIGHT
A big suitcase will not fit underneath the beds. On some trains, even a large backpack will not fit. It's best to bring small luggage, or else you will have to leave your luggage in the center of your small cabin. Put everything you need during the journey at the top of your pack because there is limited space in the cabin to be rummaging through your stuff. Also it could be helpful to put everything you need in a smaller day pack that you can leave out.
SECURITY
We always shared our rooms with other trip mates and locked the door when everyone went to sleep. If you have to share a room with people you don't know, it's probably best to put your valuables in your money belt and sleep with it on.
CLOTHING
Bring a variety of comfortable clothes. The train cabins were usually either very hot or freezing cold. Bring eye shades and ear plugs.
BRING A SLEEP SHEET
For those of you who don't know, a sleep sheet is basically a sheet in the shape of a sleeping bag. It's a way to protect yourself from the creepy crawlies that might be lurking in a questionably clean bed. On the first leg of a train journey, there are already clean sheets on the bed. However, if you get on at some point after that, the sheets will have been used by a previous person. Some conductors were very helpful and brought clean sheets, others never came by. I didn't know what a sleep sheet was beforehand so I used sarongs to cover my bed. When I was in Hue, I found a nice silk sleep sheet for just $7.
AVOID USING THE TOILET
I don't really believe in cutting off fluids to avoid using foreign toilets, but this is the one exception. The bathrooms were terrible. It's hard enough for most Western women to squat, so imagine trying to do it on a moving vehicle that makes sudden stops. Enough said. Drinking alcohol can probably make your train ride better, but just think of all the extra bathroom trips you'll need to make...
BRING YOUR OWN FOOD
Water bottles and food were included in the soft sleeper cabins. The food was unidentifiable so we always passed on it. People usually come around to sell packaged snacks. But it's helpful to buy some bread and peanuts or a to go meal before you leave, especially for the really long rides that leave in the afternoon.
ENTERTAIN YOURSELF
Make sure you have a good book or a deck of cards with you. Train rides were a good time to have interesting conversations with my trip mates. Also, make sure to look outside the windows in the daylight hours. The one redeeming factor of the overnight trains were the great views of the countryside we saw in the afternoon and early morning!
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