Speed ​​up train travel

To fully explore the beauty of Vietnam and experience the poetic life, there is perhaps nothing more wonderful than a train trip along the length of the country. New 5-star trains have been put into operation, inter-provincial railway projects are being promoted to gradually draw a journey across Vietnam by comfortable, clean train.

Connecting high-speed railway from the North Pole to the South Pole

The Ministry of Transport has just submitted a document to the Prime Minister requesting the allocation of reserve capital from the central budget in 2024 to prepare for investment in the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong railway line. According to the Ministry, the preparation for investment in this railway line is necessary and urgent. The Vietnam - China Joint Statement during the visit to Vietnam by General Secretary and President of China Xi Jinping on December 12-13, 2023 agreed to promote strategic development connectivity between the two countries, effectively implement the cooperation plan connecting the framework of two corridors, one belt with the Belt and Road Initiative between Vietnam and China. At the same time, promote the connection of standard gauge railways across the Vietnam - China border, and study and promote the construction of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong standard gauge railway.

Tourists take the Central Heritage Journey train. NGOC NAM

Along with that, Conclusion No. 49 of the Politburo on the orientation of developing Vietnam's railway transport to 2030, with a vision to 2045, also has the orientation that by 2030, it will strive to start construction of a number of routes connecting international gateway seaports (Hanoi - Hai Phong, Bien Hoa - Vung Tau...), international border gates (Hanoi - Lao Cai, Hanoi - Lang Son...)

Most recently, Conclusion No. 72 dated February 23 of the Politburo also affirmed the priority of investment resources for the North-South high-speed railway project, the Lao Cai-Hanoi-Hai Phong routes... Based on the above requirements, the Ministry of Transport proposed that competent authorities allow the allocation of funds from the 2024 central budget reserve to promptly implement the research procedures to allow investment in the project.

Previously, the consulting consortium of Transport Investment and Construction Consulting Joint Stock Company and Transport Design Consulting Corporation (TEDI) submitted to the Vietnam Railway Authority a mid-term report on the planning of the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh railway line. Specifically, the line starts at Lao Cai station (from the point of connection with the Chinese railway), ends at Ha Long station (part of the Kep - Ha Long railway line) and the sections pass through 10 provinces and cities including: Lao Cai, Yen Bai, Phu Tho, Vinh Phuc, Hanoi, Bac Ninh, Hung Yen, Hai Duong, Hai Phong and Quang Ninh. In particular, to ensure competition with the Lao Cai - Hanoi - Hai Phong - Quang Ninh road expressway, the consulting team proposed an initial design speed of 160 km/h, which can be increased to 200 km/h in the future so that the travel time of the new railway line is shorter than that of the road, only 4 - 5 hours.

While the railway line connecting Quang Ninh to Lao Cai is being promoted, people from all provinces and cities from North to South are enthusiastically sharing information about the North-South high-speed train line with the trend: "Saigon broken rice in the morning, Hanoi egg coffee in the afternoon"; "Saigon broken rice in the morning, Hai Duong green bean cake in the afternoon"... According to the scenario being studied by the Ministry of Transport, if the design speed of 350 km/h is approved, the high-speed train from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi, a distance of 1,730 km, will only take nearly 5 hours, more than 2 hours to get to Hai Duong and about 2-3 hours to continue the railway to the Lao Cai border.

Towards the South, the Ho Chi Minh City - Can Tho high-speed railway is also being accelerated by enterprises and localities with a design speed of about 190 km/h for passenger trains and 120 km/h for freight trains. After completion, the travel time from Can Tho to Ho Chi Minh City will only take 75-80 minutes. Across the country, each section of the high-speed railway is being connected with the goal of trains traveling from the North Pole to the South Pole in less than 15 hours.

High quality train (Saigon - Da Nang route). NGUYEN ANH

A journey to experience unique indigenous culture

According to experts, to develop goods, railways and waterways must take the lead because these are methods of transporting large volumes and at much cheaper costs than roads and air transport. Investing in railways, clearing traffic, and clearing goods to stimulate the economy is an urgent task for major economic hubs such as Ho Chi Minh City or Hanoi. Moreover, railways are expected to become a unique tourism product of Vietnam.

Recently, the railway industry has cooperated with tourism units to operate the 5-star train SE19/20 Hanoi - Da Nang, train SE21/22 Saigon - Da Nang and quickly became a unique tourism product attracting many domestic and foreign tourists. Most recently, the YouTube channel with 50,000 followers of the Canadian tourist couple Eric and Sarah spread the story of the 17-hour journey by luxury train from Da Nang to Hanoi, instead of choosing to go by plane which only takes more than 1 hour. Booking a VIP sleeper cabin for 2 people, priced at 6.6 million VND/night, the Canadian couple said it was completely worth the wonderful experiences on the beautifully designed train cabin, comfortable interior and scientifically and neatly arranged; delicious, clean food and reasonable prices.

Tourists take the train Connecting Central Heritage. NGOC NAM

“I love the way they arranged this room, including the delicate wall painting with images of Vietnamese countryside… Look, we just passed through rice fields and some small towns. I even saw some buffaloes on the way,” Sarah said, surprised and delighted to see the beautiful green scenery outside the window.

After the 5-star trains were successfully put into service, attracting the attention of tourists, the railway industry continued to diversify many types of services such as launching the Hue - Da Nang train and vice versa with the name "Connecting Central Heritage", in the form of transport business combined with tourism service exploitation. The Hue - Da Nang railway route has long been familiar to the people of the two provinces, but the "Connecting Central Heritage" train that has just been put into operation still attracts many local people to experience.

Or the night train from Da Lat to Trai Mat, called “Da Lat Night Journey”, 6.7 km long, has quickly become a new tourist attraction of the foggy city. With a train journey of about 1 hour (30 minutes on the way there and 30 minutes on the way back) and a slow train speed, during the day, visitors can relax and admire the poetic beauty of Da Lat; at night, the beauty of Da Lat is extremely magical and different.

Dalat night heritage train. LAM VIEN

As the person who has cherished the idea of ​​building a unique train tourism product for many years, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel Corporation Nguyen Quoc Ky affirmed that train tourism is becoming a new trend, attracting the attention of many tourists. Train tourism is a journey to experience unique indigenous culture, giving tourists unique experiences, both relaxing and exploring culture. In Vietnam, train tourism is developing positively. According to data from the National Tourism Administration, in 2023, the number of domestic tourists traveling by train reached 10 million, an increase of 15% compared to 2022. The number of international tourists traveling by train reached 1.5 million, an increase of 20% compared to 2022.

“Vietnam has a 143-year-old railway system, with a total length of 3,143 km, connecting most of the provinces and major cities in the country. We have many beautiful natural landscapes and diverse cultures, giving tourists interesting experiences when traveling by train. In 2023, the railway industry was introduced in Lonely Planet's Amazing Train Journeys - a publication that collects the world's greatest rail trips. In which, the Hanoi - Ho Chi Minh City railway line was voted the most beautiful and worth-experiencing railway line in the world. Not to mention, this is also an environmentally friendly choice, in line with the trend of sustainable tourism development", Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky analyzed.

“Land” to bring the railway back to its golden age

According to the leader of Vietnam Railways Corporation (VNR), until the high-speed railway is available, VNR plans to continue operating “hotel trains”, developing in the direction of high-end segments aimed at high-income customers. The consumption of high-end tourists is “unique consumption”, not much concerned with price but wanting unique, exclusive experiences. That is the “land” to revive luxury tourist trains for the railway industry.

Supporting the use and promotion of the value of railways in tourism development, Dr. Khuat Viet Hung, Director of the Institute of Transport Development Strategy (Ministry of Transport), cited: Many studies show that the ability to promote tourism development is closely linked to the development and characteristics of railways. For example, in Japan and Australia, the development of new railway lines in the mid-19th century opened up a new tourism industry, promoting the needs of group tourism and inter-regional tourism to remote areas.

This is also an opportunity for existing railway lines that have been established for a long time in Vietnam to act as historical heritages. New tourism products on Vietnam's railways in recent years or the phenomenon of "Train Street" in Hanoi are showing the potential to develop new transport - tourism products to attract tourists who love nostalgic tourism or to recreate a unique tourism identity with local communities along the railway.

Central Heritage Connection Train (section through Hai Van Pass). NGUYEN PHONG

Dr. Khuat Viet Hung believes that improving the quality of railway transport services can strongly promote tourism. Some tasks that can be implemented immediately include improving hygiene conditions on trains and at stations; making service staff more friendly; adding services and amenities for tourists; upgrading the exterior and interior of train cars to meet tourists' quality standards; improving train schedules and improving punctuality. At the same time, it is necessary to strengthen multimodal transport connections, between railways and roads, with other modes such as air and water. It is necessary to ensure the connection of bus services to stations, ensuring that tourists can walk close and conveniently between buses and railways; selling intermodal tickets to buses for train passengers via smart applications or the internet.

“Developing transportation and tourism routes is a new trend in recent years. Researching and planning transportation networks connecting resources and tourist destinations together to form a complete tourism package tour including: sightseeing, experience, food, accommodation, exercise, exploration... is increasingly being invested in and developed by many countries and localities. Combining transportation and tourism services in the same product not only brings a different experience to tourists but also contributes to diversifying the destination's tourism products,” emphasized Mr. Khuat Viet Hung.

Number of passengers traveling by rail over the years. SOURCE: VNR – GRAPHICS: BAO NGUYEN

Vietnam Railways owns many priceless heritage, historical and cultural assets, and prime central stations. It would be a waste if we did not have a systematic strategy to fully exploit and promote this great resource.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Ky, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Vietravel Corporation

Vietravel and VNR are promoting cooperation to implement the 5-star Cross-Vietnam Train project, creating a new multi-modal tourism model called "ONE TICKET ALL TRAILS". This model not only brings convenience to customers with a comprehensive travel ticket but also expands the experience opportunities for tourists through the combination of different forms of transportation, from air to rail, enhancing the overall travel experience. The two units have committed to cooperating in a sustainable spirit, and will also cooperate with localities to promote local tourism throughout the journey with an integrated smart technology system: Creating a multi-function ticket platform "ALL-IN TICKET", providing a smooth travel experience, priority access at tourist attractions, digital integration for real-time information updates and a loyalty program.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/tang-toc-du-lich-tau-hoa-185240708233417206.htm