Lonely Planet

68 Lonely Planet Traveller October 2017ESSENTIALSGETTING THERE ANDAROUNDVietnam Airlines flies direct toHanoi and Ho Chi Minh City fromLondon Heathrow (from £540;vietnamairlines.com). One-wayflights between the two citiesstart at about £30 (jetstar.com).``````WHEN TO GOWith its mountainous far north,central highlands and tropicalsouth, there’s no one standoutseason to visit Vietnam. Springand autumn offer generallypleasant weather, while summerbrings monsoons and winter canbe cold in the far north.``````FURTHER READINGPick up our Vietnam guide(£15.99;lonelyplanet.com)and visitvietnamtourism.com to find ideasand inspiration.``````TRAVEL BY TRAINOperated by national carrierVietnam Railways, trains arecheap, comfortable and reliable.There are two categories:smarter, faster SE trains and older,cheaper TN trains. There are four``````ticket classes: hard seat, soft seat,hard sleeper (with six beds percompartment) and soft sleeper(with four). SE trains also haveair-con options. Several trainsdepart daily from Hanoi and HoChi Minh City. The journey takes32 – 36 hours and costs from £11one way. If stopping off, you needto book separate tickets for eachleg of your journey. To book andcheck schedules, head to thewebsites of travel agency Bao Lau(baolau.com) or 12Go Asia (12go.Asia). You can book up to 90 daysahead for a long trip, though aday or two is usually fine, exceptduring peak holiday times.Sleeping berths should be bookedat least a week beforehand.``````WHO CAN HELPIt’s possible to organise this tripon your own, but a tour operatorcan smooth logistics and organiseexperiences off the train. Basedin Vietnam, veteran SoutheastAsia specialist Buffalo Tourscan tailor-make tours with localguides. Itineraries range fromshort breaks, masterclasses andtreks to cross-country trips andfamily holidays. An eight-day tourof Vietnam via the ReunificationExpress begins at around £1,070(buffalotours.com).MAKE IT HAPPENVietnam