Da Nang Railway belongs to the system of the Vietnam railways: North to South (Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City).
The railway with a length of about 30km within Da Nang City includes Da Nang station in the city center – the central station which is used for tourists, Thanh Khe, Kim Lien, and Hai Van Nam station.
Vietnamdrive shows you some essential tips to know about train travel from Da Nang to Hue City and vice versa.
Duration of a train from Da Nang to Hue
Most of the train runs 2.5 hours from Da Nang to Hue (or vice versa). However, my experience with these trains is they are not managed on time.
It is because Da Nang and Hue train stations belong to the system of North-South railways of Vietnam. Most of the trains from Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi travel to Da Nang City. And, many of them delay.
Thus, the time travel from Da Nang train station to Hue station may take longer than 2.5 hours. (Plus with the time to move from hotels to the railway station in Da Nang, and from the station to your hotel in Hue can take you around 4 hours or more.)
Pro hints: When you have a tour within a day in Hue City, you should think twice before you book train tickets to travel to Hue city from Da Nang.
Cheap train tickets from Da Nang to Hue
Train tickets are low for distance from Da Nang to Hue (or Hue to Da Nang city).
- Price is from 70,000VND (~ 3USD) to 210,000VND (~9USD)
- The difference depends on the types of seats or beds.
- A hard seat has the lowest price, and alternately a soft chair, soft chair with air-conditioners, hard bed, and a soft bed with air-conditioners.
Special passengers belonging special groups will be entitled to fares, as follows:
- children under 5 years old who go to at least an adult;
- children 5 to 9 years old 50% of the fare;
- Vietnam heroic mothers 90% fare reduction;
- disability or severe special people 25% discount; and
- Vietnamese people elderly (over 60 years) decreased by 20%.
To get the discount on the price, the passengers must have some proper documents to show when buying tickets and when traveling on the trains.
Places to buy train tickets
It’s easy to buy train tickets. You can ask for the help of your hotel or a travel agent to book them for you. Of course, you have to pay a little commission for their works and time.
You can book them by yourselves. The first option is to come to the ticket cabins at the train stations in Da Nang or other cities. The staff will guide you through buying tickets quickly.
The second option is to book them online. You can come here https://dsvn.vn to check and book the tickets.
Tips: Many websites sell train tickets, but you should be careful to buy tickets at the fraudulent websites. You will lose your money. I like to work directly with the official site of the Vietnam railways https://dsvn.vn.
How long should you buy a ticket?
You should buy a ticket as soon as possible. In spite of that, you also notice your schedule to book it with suitable time (not too early) in case you need to change the time of travel.
Sometimes, I come to the train station to buy a ticket and get on the train a few minutes later. This method is for the ordinary days, and I know it with a little luck. If you are travelers, you are recommended to book tickets early.
Special notes are applied for Tet Holidays, and national holidays (ex, 2 Sep – the Independence day) in Vietnam, and the time when students move to other cities for new schoolyear. The tickets are sold out quickly.
30 minutes to the train in advance
You should come to the train station at least 30 minutes before your train departure. This rule is to ensure that you do not miss the time. Because most of the trains stop a short time at each station, luckily many train stop in Da Nang around 15 minutes.
But, really notice when you use a train from Hue station, some trains just stop only 5 minutes, too short to do any things.
Thus, when you come to Hue train station from Da Nang City, you should prepare your luggage ready before the train reaches the station. So, you can get out of the train faster.
Main activity when you are on the train
When you travel on the train from Da Nang to Hue, it takes 2 -3 times, it is not long to do any unique things. Relaxing, reading a book, and check facebook are famous for the local people.
If you are tourists, you may do another to value your holidays. The main activity on the train is to enjoy the view of the oceans, mountains, rice fields and countryside. The settings of the scenery are lovely. You should not miss preparing an excellent camera to take stunning pictures of nature along the rails.
Move to the train station in Da Nang
To travel to the train stations in Vietnam in general, and in Da Nang in particular, has different choice to do by using a grab, taxi, a private car, or a motorbike. Motobike is cheaper transportation to move in Da Nang city.
Please note that the train station in Da Nang city center does not connect directly to the international airport of Da Nang. It is 3 km far away from each other.
Thus, the guests have to go out of the airport to move to the train station. It’s the easiest way to catch a taxi, fast and comfortable when you have luggage, making you have time to come to the train on time.
Not really clean toilets on trains
I hate to use “happy rooms” on most trains, not happy at all. The smell is terrible, but no choice when I need it. Thus, I often carry a mash in case I have to use their toilets. And, bring your own paper is also recommended to go to these toilets.
Food and drink on the train from Da Nang to Hue
Coffee and soft drink will be sold on the train on a small cart by the staff of Vietnam railways.
They also sell rice if the train running during lunchtime from 11:00am – 12:00pm.
Distance from Da Nang to Hue City is not long, so I often buy or carry Vietnamese snacks. And I do not mind more food when traveling.
Tips: Food and drink sold on the train are alright (at least for the locals) to taste, but most of them are not a good flavor. And, I will never buy any food from sellers in the shops (on the ground) at the train stations in Vietnam anymore. Not all of them, but most of the food there has lousy quality, and some products can expire, so check them carefully before buying.
Is it safe on the train?
At the same with other public transportation in Vietnam, I have not met any problems when moving on the trains. However, we often tell guests that care is always right. It means it’s better to keep your eyes to your luggage, money, wallets, and other valuable property. All of them should be put in the good locked bags.
Schedule of trains from Da Nang to Hue
It’s because most of the trains from Da Nang belongs to the system of Vietnam railways. Thus, we supply the timetable of trains coming both from Hanoi to Da Nang and from Ho Chi Minh to Da Nang. You look the time at Da Nang of each train to know when a train comes to Da Nang and check it at Hue to know when it arrives.
(If you check these tables on your mobile, you should view the mobile screen in landscape mode.)
Direction from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh (Saigon):
Use this schedule of trains to move from Hue to Da Nang. (Soure: http://giotaugiave.vr.com.vn/)
| Name of train station | KM | SE7 | SE5 | SE9 | SE3 | SE1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hà Nội | 0 | 6:00 | 9:00 | 14:30 | 19:30 | 22:20 |
| Giáp Bát | 4 | 14:45 | ||||
| Phủ Lý | 56 | 7:06 | 10:07 | 15:49 | 20:37 | 23:25 |
| Nam Định | 87 | 7:42 | 10:45 | 16:27 | 21:13 | 23:59 |
| Ninh Bình | 115 | 8:17 | 11:20 | 17:16 | 21:47 | |
| Bỉm Sơn | 141 | 11:55 | 17:51 | |||
| Thanh Hoá | 175 | 9:28 | 12:36 | 18:30 | 22:55 | 01:31 (day +1) |
| Minh Khôi | 197 | 9:53 | 13:01 | 18:55 | ||
| Chợ Sy | 279 | 11:22 | 14:21 | 20:15 | ||
| Vinh | 319 | 12:09 | 15:07 | 21:02 | 01:23 (day +1) | 03:56 (day +1) |
| Yên Trung | 340 | 12:46 | 15:33 | 21:29 | 04:22 (day +1) | |
| Hương Phố | 387 | 13:42 | 16:30 | 22:41 | 05:19 (day +1) | |
| Đồng Lê | 436 | 14:45 | 17:34 | 23:46 | 03:43 (day +1) | |
| Minh Lễ | 482 | 15:37 | Not stop | Not stop | Not stop | |
| Đồng Hới | 522 | 16:34 | 19:30 | 01:36 (day +1) | 05:33 (day +1) | 08:04 (day +1) |
| Mỹ Đức | 551 | 17:09 | ||||
| Đông Hà | 622 | 18:35 | 21:11 | 03:28 (day +1) | 07:18 (day +1) | 09:42 (day +1) |
| Huế | 688 | 19:51 | 22:28 | 04:55 (day +1) | 08:37 (day +1) | 10:59 (day +1) |
| Đà Nẵng | 791 | 22:36 | 01:21 (day +1) | 07:50 (day +1) | 11:25 (day +1) | 13:45 (day +1) |
| Tam Kỳ | 865 | 00:04 (day +1) | Not stop | 09:11 (day +1) | 13:17 (day +1) | 14:56 (day +1) |
| Núi Thành | 890 | Not stop | Not stop | 09:41 (day +1) | ||
| Quảng Ngãi | 928 | 01:32 (day +1) | 03:56 (day +1) | 10:35 (day +1) | 14:27 (day +1) | 16:01 (day +1) |
| Đức Phổ | 968 | Not stop | Not stop | 11:36 (day +1) | ||
| Bồng Sơn | 1017 | Not stop | Not stop | 12:26 (day +1) | 15:58 (day +1) | |
| Diêu Trì | 1096 | 04:32 (day +1) | 07:00 (day +1) | 13:56 (day +1) | 17:31 (day +1) | 18:51 (day +1) |
| Tuy Hoà | 1198 | 06:18 (day +1) | 08:50 (day +1) | 15:40 (day +1) | 19:12 (day +1) | 20:29 (day +1) |
| Giã | 1254 | 16:54 (day +1) | ||||
| Ninh Hoà | 1281 | 07:51 (day +1) | 17:30 (day +1) | |||
| Nha Trang | 1315 | 08:39 (day +1) | 10:51 (day +1) | 18:19 (day +1) | 21:12 (day +1) | 22:26 (day +1) |
| Tháp Chàm | 1408 | 10:13 (day +1) | 12:43 (day +1) | 20:10 (day +1) | 22:46 (day +1) | |
| Sông Mao | 1484 | 21:26 (day +1) | ||||
| Bình Thuận | 1551 | 12:33 (day +1) | 15:12 (day +1) | 22:32 (day +1) | 01:13 (day +2) | 02:37 (day +2) |
| Suối Kiết | 1603 | 13:34 (day +1) | ||||
| Long Khánh | 1649 | 14:22 (day +1) | 16:57 (day +1) | 03:00 (day +2) | ||
| Biên Hòa | 1697 | 15:25 (day +1) | 17:57 (day +1) | 02:00 (day +2) | 04:00 (day +2) | 05:07 (day +2) |
| Dĩ An | 1707 | 15:40 (day +1) | 02:15 (day +2) | |||
| Sài Gòn | 1726 | 16:10 (day +1) | 18:38 (day +1) | 02:47 (day +2) | 04:45 (day +2) | 05:45 (day +2) |
Direction from Ho Chi Minh to Hanoi:
Check the timetable of trains to cacth trains from Da Nang to Hue.
| Name of train station | KM | SE8 | SE6 | SE10 | SE4 | SE2 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sài Gòn | 0 | 6:00 | 9:00 | 14:40 | 19:45 | 21:55 |
| Dĩ An | 19 | 6:30 | 15:11 | |||
| Biên Hòa | 29 | 6:44 | 9:42 | 15:28 | 20:32 | 22:34 |
| Long Khánh | 77 | 7:45 | 10:44 | 16:30 | 21:34 | |
| Suối Kiết | 123 | 8:31 | 17:27 | |||
| Bình Thuận | 175 | 9:31 | 12:30 | 18:42 | 23:20 | 01:10 (day +1) |
| Sông Mao | 242 | 19:44 | ||||
| Tháp Chàm | 318 | 11:48 | 14:45 | 21:24 | 03:19 (day +1) | |
| Nha Trang | 411 | 13:33 | 16:23 | 23:51 | 03:21 (day +1) | 04:54 (day +1) |
| Ninh Hoà | 445 | 14:14 | 00:31 (day +1) | |||
| Tuy Hoà | 528 | 15:37 | 18:37 | 01:57 (day +1) | 05:21 (day +1) | 06:51 (day +1) |
| Diêu Trì | 630 | 17:27 | 20:58 | 03:48 (day +1) | 07:09 (day +1) | 08:39 (day +1) |
| Bồng Sơn | 709 | 18:54 | 05:28 (day +1) | 08:31 (day +1) | ||
| Đức Phổ | 758 | 06:18 (day +1) | ||||
| Quảng Ngãi | 798 | 20:24 | 23:47 | 07:03 (day +1) | 10:04 (day +1) | 11:22 (day +1) |
| Núi Thành | 836 | 07:45 (day +1) | ||||
| Tam Kỳ | 861 | 21:31 | 08:15 (day +1) | 11:11 (day +1) | 12:27 (day +1) | |
| Trà Kiệu | 901 | 09:05 (day +1) | ||||
| Đà Nẵng | 935 | 23:04 | 02:23 (day +1) | 10:03 (day +1) | 12:49 (day +1) | 13:55 (day +1) |
| Huế | 1038 | 01:39 (day +1) | 05:00 (day +1) | 13:05 (day +1) | 15:31 (day +1) | 16:26 (day +1) |
| Đông Hà | 1104 | 02:56 (day +1) | 06:17 (day +1) | 14:22 (day +1) | 16:46 (day +1) | 17:41 (day +1) |
| Mỹ Đức | 1175 | 04:10 (day +1) | ||||
| Đồng Hới | 1204 | 04:55 (day +1) | 08:42 (day +1) | 16:25 (day +1) | 18:40 (day +1) | 19:40 (day +1) |
| Minh Lễ | 1244 | 05:54 (day +1) | ||||
| Đồng Lê | 1290 | 06:55 (day +1) | 10:18 (day +1) | 18:09 (day +1) | 20:18 (day +1) | 21:16 (day +1) |
| Hương Phố | 1339 | 08:00 (day +1) | 11:22 (day +1) | 19:14 (day +1) | 21:22 (day +1) | 22:19 (day +1) |
| Yên Trung | 1386 | 08:57 (day +1) | 12:19 (day +1) | 20:11 (day +1) | 22:19 (day +1) | |
| Vinh | 1407 | 09:28 (day +1) | 12:51 (day +1) | 20:58 (day +1) | 22:47 (day +1) | 23:42 (day +1) |
| Chợ Sy | 1447 | 10:11 (day +1) | 13:35 (day +1) | 21:41 (day +1) | ||
| Minh Khôi | 1529 | 11:31 (day +1) | 15:07 (day +1) | 23:19 (day +1) | ||
| Thanh Hoá | 1551 | 11:56 (day +1) | 15:35 (day +1) | 00:11 (day +2) | 01:28 (day +2) | 02:17 (day +2) |
| Bỉm Sơn | 1585 | 16:16 (day +1) | ||||
| Ninh Bình | 1611 | 13:12 (day +1) | 16:51 (day +1) | 03:20 (day +2) | ||
| Nam Định | 1639 | 13:47 (day +1) | 17:27 (day +1) | 02:16 (day +2) | 03:07 (day +2) | 03:52 (day +2) |
| Phủ Lý | 1670 | 14:24 (day +1) | 18:04 (day +1) | 03:44 (day +2) | 04:26 (day +2) | |
| Hà Nội | 1726 | 15:30 (day +1) | 19:12 (day +1) | 03:55 (day +2) | 04:50 (day +2) | 05:30 (day +2) |