New luxury train route in Vietnam offers stunning coastal views..

[PeteC]

https://edition.cnn.com/travel/vietage- ... index.html. (Photos)

There’s nothing quite like settling back into your train seat, the urban skyline out the window fading into lush natural landscapes as you make your way to your next destination.

According to rail experts, an increasing number of luxury travelers are looking to experience this sensation, all part of a global shift towards slower and more sustainable tourism activities.

Anantara is among the hospitality giants now tapping into this demand, with the high-end hotel brand offering a new five-hour luxury train experience in southern Vietnam that connects the popular resort destinations of Na Trang and Quy Nhon – its second route in the country.

The first “The Vietage by Anantara” luxury train carriage launched in 2020 – a six-hour journey connecting Da Nang and Quy Nhon.

Ananatara’s head of PR and marketing for Vietnam, Kate Jones tells CNN the new carriage heads in the opposite direction and aims to expose travelers to even more of Vietnam’s beautiful views. Like the first Vietage carriage, it will be attached to Vietnam’s state-run commercial railway that runs up and down the country.

“The main difference is that the new route connecting Nha Trang and Quy Nhon passes through many more coastal areas than the journey between Da Nang and Quy Nhon,” says Jones.

“There is a selection of really quite stunning bays and some striking coastline facing the East Sea. There are some mountainous areas and still plenty of rice paddies and lotus ponds, but the coastal scenery is the biggest view ‘pull’ for this five-hour journey.”

This is slow travel at its best – the trains hit an average speed of 51.9 kilometers per hour (32.2 mph) according to Anantara.

That gives guests on the Quy Nhon-Nha Trang route plenty of time to enjoy their complimentary afternoon tea set, which includes local caviar, Vietnamese artisanal cheeses, a selection of cold cuts and premium Vietnamese teas.

For the six-hour journeys between Da Nang and Quy Nhon, passengers are served a pre-ordered three-course gourmet meal.

Guests on either route also get complimentary snacks, free-flow wine, cocktails, mocktails, teas, coffee and soft drinks, plus a 15-minute head and shoulder treatment.

The Vietage carriage is fitted out with a sit-up bar, restroom facilities and six private booths that seat two, each of which comes with power outlets, charging stations, free wifi and amenity baskets with pillows, blankets and other essentials.

Travelers can reserve their seats online at Thevietagetrain.com, while those wanting to combine their rail journeys with a stay at one of Anantara’s properties – – Anantara Hoi An Resort, Anantara Quy Nhon Villas or Avani Quy Nhon Resort – can book packages through those individual hotel websites.

The cost of a one-way Vietage journey is $420 per person. The new route departs from Nha Trang Train Station at 2 p.m., arriving at Dieu Tri Station in Quy Nhon at 6:29 p.m. For those preferring to travel in the opposite direction, trains depart Dieu Tri Train Station at 2:15 p.m. - arriving at Nha Trang Train Station at 6:36 p.m.

The original route departs from Da Nang Train Station at 8 a.m., arriving at Quy Nhon’s Dieu Tri Station at 2:03 p.m. There is also an evening option that departs Quy Nhon at 7:00 p.m., arriving in Da Nang at 12:53 a.m. the following day. This Vietage journey is slightly cheaper, costing $315 per passenger.

As for demand, Jones says many are turning to rail travel rather than “rushing through airports to get from A to B.”

“The domestic aviation industry in Vietnam right now is also facing some challenges with the disappearance of two airlines and a reduced fleet with the national carrier, so overall air travel is currently not popular, plus overly expensive,” she says.

“The Vietage is the only experience of its kind in Vietnam and, of course, with the return of the Belmond train, the awareness of luxury rail travel is growing in Southeast Asia.”

In addition to traveling slowly and more sustainably, Jones says rail travelers gain real visual insights into the country, taking in scenes like “rural villages, fishermen casting their nets, farmers in fields with the water buffaloes – things you definitely don’t experience at 35,000 feet.”

[KanDoo]

Except it does not work quite like that. I've been on their "scenic" coastal train and the first thing the locals do when they enter the carriage is to pull all the curtains so that not a drop of sunshine can get in and certainly there is nothing to see.

[Siam]

Not too many locals uninterested in the views going to pay $420 per person, so the pulling the curtains is unlikely to be a major problem

[pharvey]

Not too many locals uninterested in the views going to pay $420 per person, so the pulling the curtains is unlikely to be a major problem

My thoughts exactly.

[Big Boy]

Yet KanDoo says he's done the journey, and that is exactly what happened

I agree, why pay $420 for the views, and the first thing you do is pull the curtains?

[PeteC]

There appears to be only one or two special train cars for this deal, attached to and part of the longer train.

...."Ananatara’s head of PR and marketing for Vietnam...... Like the first Vietage carriage, it will be attached to Vietnam’s state-run commercial railway that runs up and down the country.".....

[Big Boy]

Yes, but as this has been running since 2020, we have no reason to doubt KanDoo's post. Or do we?

[PeteC]

It's a new route. The photos in the article show luxury appointed cars with no curtains on or near the windows shown. I would say it's $420.00 per ticket separate cars attached to the normal train. The locals would not be riding in those cars, unless they wanted to pay that price.

[Big Boy]

But the OP says:

The first “The Vietage by Anantara” luxury train carriage launched in 2020 – a six-hour journey connecting Da Nang and Quy Nhon.

I presumed it was like Thai sightseeing rail journeys - just don't run very often.