Trans-Vietnam railway among world's most incredible train journeys: Lonely Planet

The Reunification Express, or the north-south railway in Vietnam, has been hailed as one of the world's most amazing rail journeys by the British travel publication Lonely Planet.

The railway stretches for more than 1,726 kilometers between the country's two biggest cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City over the course of two days.

“ Some railways rattle through historic cities; others swoosh beside spectacular coastlines. A few have an epic history, and one or two are remarkable for the colorful characters onboard. The Reunification Express line, known as the North–South Railway, fulfills all these criteria.

One of Southeast Asia’s best-loved railways – and most epic overnight train journeys in the world – its fortunes have waxed and waned with those of the country it traverses. Traveling more than a thousand miles from Ho Chi Minh City in the south to Hanoi in the north, there is no more atmospheric way to haul into Vietnam’s twin metropolises. And there’s no better way of exploring all the glories in between.” It concluded.

Traveling by the Reunification Express rail in  is full of magic. Sometimes you meet other passengers in the carriage while you eat, sleep, and listen to the sound of a steel wheel swishing against a steel rail. The adventure, the experience, or the window into the soul of a country can sometimes take place outside, in romantic scenery and rural landscapes along coastal towns in the central region.

Other train journeys in the list are the California Zephyr of the U.S., Lake Titicaca Railway of Peru, Lhasa Express of China, Caledonian Sleeper of the U.K., Bergensbanen of Norway, TranzAlpine of New Zealand, and Tazara Railway of Tanzania and Zambia.