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Logistics

Train services and logistics
Four bunk sleeper on a long distance train.

There are many different ways to get to Ninh Binh. Originally an ancient crossroads, Ninh Binh City remains a bustling logistics hub and most visitors to North Vietnam will end up here at some stage of their journey.

Well serviced with a modern train station, a busy inter-provincial bus station, Ninh Binh is an important stop on the main highway that bisects the country. It is not hard to find transport to suit all tastes and budgets.

Visitors who pre-book their trip with one of the many tourist groups that service the area, will usually have travel to and from Ninh Binh as part of their “package”. But this is Vietnam – always double check the agency and the ticketing. For those with a more flexible itinerary, we provide here some of the various services, companies and sample fares.

Prices will never remain fixed, so we only give a “ballpark” figure that need be checked directly with the provider.

Certain periods, such as the Lunar New Year (Tet), Reunification Day and so on will see massive migration of the Vietnamese population to and from their home villages and cities. Transport at these times (see our Festivals page) will often be oversubscribed, prices rise and conditions are crowded. You are advised to check if your planned travel coincide with these dates and book well ahead.

LIMOUSINE SERVICE

For inter-city travel in Vietnam, you cannot go past the luxury 6-8 seater air conditioned modern vans that ply all the major routes several times a day, and to lesser destinations on a more sporadic schedule. A little more expensive than bus or train travel, most will pick you up at a chosen address and drop you off in front of your destination address so you should also calculate the extra costs saved in taxi/grab fares too and from Bus and Train terminals

Limousine Trang An
Binh Minh Limousine Ninh Binh Garage
Limousine Khanh An

TRAIN

Vietnam boasts a robust rail system that connects north to south and some regional capitals and trade routes. There are several “class” of tickets including hard seat, soft seat and sleeper. But there are further variations on that according to route, the train itself and the length/time of the journey. So on a trip from Hanoi to Lao Cai (near Sapa), a hard seat is just that – slatted wooden pews. On one of the express trains, it might be you don’t have a recliner on your plush faux leather bucket seat.

Prices vary wildly for the same reasons and you are best to check routes, pricing and schedule online at the official website. General rule of thumb is children under 6 years old travel free while 6 to 10 years old are entitled to a small discount (10-20%). Sleepers come in 6, 4 and occasional 2 berth configuration, with reciprocal levels of pricing and certain carriages reserved for long distance travellers.

The station platforms are often lined with an array of food, beverages and small good stalls that come to a flurry of life at arrival/departure times. Small canteens with beer, soda, coffee water and foodstuffs are often at the rear of the long distance trains but all trains stop at major stations for 5-10 minutes, enough time to replenish your supply of fresh banh mi, snacks and beverages.

Any luggage or personal devices should be well secured. Passport/visa and a valid ticket are required and in the spirit of first come, first served, the earlier you book the ticket, the lower the ticket price (and the more likely you are to get a good seat/berth).

Train Station (Ga Ninh Binh)

TOURIST BUSES

Typically, any long distance travel in Vietnam will also be catered for by large well fitted “luxury” coaches. The luxury comes into it with recliner seats or sleeping pods, WIFI, USB power outlets, small snacks and bottle water. They are a favourite way to travel for Vietnamese who don’t want the expense of flight or for travel to provincial hubs that are not serviced by the major airlines.

The condition of the buses, the level of English, the safety and so on varies markedly between companies, routes and even buses within the same company. Best to check on sites like Travel Adviser, Rome2tRio and similar to get the “latest” updates on prices, reviews and practical advise for each companies booking offices, standard of care and so on.

Most will stop every couple of hours for 10-15 minutes at designated rest spots to relieve a floating bladder, stretch your legs and perhaps pickup some snacks for the next stage. The driver will blow the horn several times before departure but if there are several buses using the same stop, it can be easy to miss the signal. Do not wander off and make sure you are on the bus when it departs!

Depending on the length of the journey there will be food stops every 4-5 hours. These generally are of longer duration. At busy stops, make sure you order your meal as soon as possible as catering for hundreds of hungry passengers alighting from a dozen buses all at once leads to delays.

Depending on the route, they will usually be roughly segregated into night and day buses. There has been a trend lately for long distance buses to be outfitted with sleeping “pods” – fiberglass capsules that allow you to lie down (dependant on your height) and are split into upper and lower “berths”. Generally speaking, lower berths are favoured as they are easier to access and are not so prone to “sway” as the bus speeds along at night.

Prices on the high end are likely to be comparable to limo travel but you can shave a lot off at the lower end of the scale. Just remember you get what you pay for.

LOCAL TRANSPORT

Bus

Local buses have adapted to local needs and necessities and may be difficult for the casual tourists to access. Routes from Ninh Binh city to other districts are not fixed as their schedule depends on the number of passengers so often you need to find the “peak periods” (early morning, late afternoon) and seats generally are not able to be pre-booked.

Generally the drivers will not speak English or other foreign languages however they are aware of Google Translator. It is up to you to use it correctly (and the conversational voice function is particularly usefully here). Public bus prices will generally range from a few thousand dong up to 100k so remember to check the price before using the service (locals or your hotels may be able to help here). Also be especially careful to check return times and the last service of each day. A lot of places you may end up will not necessary have many alternate travel routes.

Avoid large packages or luggage as they can become awkward in confined spaces and/or take up valuable space. Generally speaking, the buses are an important logistical part of Vietnamese villages, not for casual day trippers.
We give some sample routes below but check and check again before embarking on a journey into the Vietnamese heartland.

Share Hires

If you have been anytime at all in Vietnam, you already have the Grab app. If not, get it now ! Almost as indispensable at Google Maps and Translator, Grab will give you a fixed price between locations, keep a record of your booking and allow you to share a live GPS signal of your journey to friends or relatives. And no, it does not require a credit card – just don’t expect drivers to keep change for 500k notes. Convenient and safe, Grab is a great boon to the Vietnam traveller.

note: Tipping is not expected but if the fare is 39k, waving off the 1k change is ok. If the driver has been especially helpful, a fiver is nice but it is not normal behaviour here. Most Vietnamese would say the economics have already been established in the price you pay – no need to embellish it further.

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