Railway firms to launch hi-quality services

May 12, 2017 - 08:00

The Hà Nội Railway Transport Co. is trying to cash in on the summer holiday season by upgrading trains to popular destinations.

The Hà Nội Railway Transport Co. has added more comfortable seats and beds and cleaned up toilets on what it calls "high-quality" trains serving Lao Cai and the central beach town of Vinh. Photo sapatourbooker.com
Viet Nam News

The Hà Nội Railway Transport Co. is trying to cash in on the summer holiday season by upgrading trains to popular destinations.

The company has added more comfortable seats and beds and cleaned up toilets on what it calls "high-quality" trains serving Lao Cai and the central beach town of Vinh.

It has also launched shuttle buses to take passengers from Lào Cai to Sa Pa and from Vinh to Cửa Lò Beach.

Sa Pa is one of the most famous towns in Việt Nam, becoming even more popular during summer thanks to its cool climate.

In the past most tourists travelled to the town by train from Hà Nội, but since the Nội Bài-Lào Cai Expressway opened in September 2014, many find the five-hour bus ride more appealing than the eight-hour trip on the train.

Train tickets from Hà Nội to Sa Pa now cost up to $20, but the company said summer vacationers would get 10-20 per cent discounts.

In the south, the HCM City-based Sài Gòn Railways Company is scheduled to launch high-quality trains between Nha Trang and Huế, three months after the launch of a HCM City - Nha Trang service.

Trains accounts for 1.14 per cent of passengers transported in Việt Nam, compared to 96 per cent by road and 2 per cent by air, according to figures from the National Statistics Bureau. — VNS

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