The long but amazing train journey to Ninh Binh

This is a live blog as the trip unfolds.

This is the day of the long rail journey. It was scheduled for 5:30. The rain started in the night.

We were not sure what time to really expect the train but a lady conductor opened the doors towards the platform at 5:35 and after couple announcements (build up to the arrival) the SE6 HCM to Hanoi proudly appeared at 5:50

and at 6:03 were on our way.

All straight forward seats 31 and 32 in carriage 1 with our table. Magnificent scenery is unfolding through fields, rivers, mountains as the temperature drops by a degree every hour we travel.

And of course as the layers go on Ann picked her knitting.

The scenery gets more and more mesmerising. Glad we took the train.

This is updated as we travel

And on we go

As the mountains region is covered by clouds

And the temp started rising perhaps as the day progressed

Arrived Vinh on time more or less.

The 460 km 11 h trip passed really quickly with the amazing scenery all around us. The windows did not help the photographs but were worth taking still.

Less than 40 minutes to go

Vietnam scenery in this section is amazing and you'll miss it if you travel by night train.

There is a lot of water, large rivers, great green and rocky hills, small and larger farms of buffalo and rice are spread on the way.

We arrived 17:04, 11h 4 min after we left so no further delays for the train after Hue'.

Taxi to Trang An Legend hotel a nice place among rocks., hills and next to the river. Mrs Yuan welcomed us and she will cook food for later.

They opened in 2019 which I am sure was not good for them but hopefully they are doing better now.