Vietnam expands summer rail

Vietnam Railways has opened summer 2026 ticket sales and expanded service on its busiest tourist corridors for travel from May 15 to August 16. (dtinews.dantri.com.vn) The core north-south line will keep five daily pairs of Thong Nhat trains between Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City: SE1/2, SE3/4, SE5/6, SE7/8 and SE9/10. (news.baohaiphong.vn) Vietnam Railways also listed added or sustained summer service on tourist-heavy routes: Hanoi-Vinh, Hanoi-Dong Hoi, Hanoi-Danang, Ho Chi Minh City-Danang, Ho Chi Minh City-Quy Nhon, Ho Chi Minh City-Nha Trang and Ho Chi Minh City-Phan Thiet. (dtinews.dantri.com.vn) On the shorter leisure lines, the operator said it will run two daily pairs of Heritage Connection trains between Danang and Hue, three daily pairs on Hanoi-Lao Cai, and four daily pairs on Hanoi-Haiphong, with extra weekend departures and added carriages on some services. (news.baohaiphong.vn) The pricing push is aimed at travelers who book early or travel in groups. Vietnam Railways said return tickets get a 10% discount, Hanoi-Lao Cai return trips on SP2, SP4 and SP8 get 15% off, and bookings made at least 20 days ahead on some trains get 5% to 10% off. (index.vn) Groups of 20 or more qualify for discounts of 3% to 9%, while tickets bought within two days of departure can carry a 5% to 7% surcharge on some services. (index.vn) Vietnam is heading into the summer season with tourism still rising. The Viet Nam National Authority of Tourism said the country recorded 2,080,079 international arrivals in March 2026 and 6,762,175 arrivals in the first quarter, up 12.4% from a year earlier. (vietnamtourism.gov.vn) The rail buildout also leans on routes that serve beach cities and mountain tourism hubs rather than only the Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City trunk. Danang, Nha Trang, Hue, Hai Phong, Lao Cai and Da Lat all appear in the summer operating plan. (dtinews.dantri.com.vn) Vietnam Railways has been trying to make that network easier to buy from abroad as well. The company said in 2024 that it added international card payments through VNPAY and expanded online ticket sales with multilingual schedule and fare information. (vr.com.vn; vr.com.vn) For summer travelers, the message from this week’s timetable is straightforward: more seats are being put on the country’s busiest holiday routes, and the cheapest fares are going first to people who book early. (dtinews.dantri.com.vn; index.vn)