CounterClifton

Local agent not really responsive, we're discussing the option of reserving one of the 4 berth sleepers for our trip from Ninh Binh to Hue before we leave Australia. Seems you can't pay from here but you can pay when you pick up the tickets.

Anyone ever done it that way or has everyone just used an agent?

CaliNurse

Hi CC...Have a great trip!!!

i didnt ride train while there, so can't answer yourspecific question. Not to distract you from whomever you're already using, especially at this late stage of your planning , but if you avnet't found sufficient help from the "non responsive" agent.... the person I was lucky enough to find is Susan (Hien) Nguyen at Custom Vietnam Travel. She is excellent: caring and honest and really, really wants visitors to have a great time to her part of the world (she's from Norther VN, in the river delta area not far from Ninh Binh). If she can't help, or just give a clear answer to your train ticket question, I doubt anyone can.
http://www.customvietnamtravel.com
I just searched the web site to send you, and it says they're online now for "web chat." Anyone you get (it's a small office) will be helpful. Good luck!!!

crellston

Some more info on buying tickets @ http://www.seat61.com/Vietnam.htm#.VvY3v_rfWrU . We tried both online options and couldnt get our cards to work and gave up trying. They list some recommended agencies, one of which is based in Melbourne, and www. baolau.vn which accepts foreign cards ( but not mine apparently")

Usually we bought tickets a few days in advance at stations but often couldn't get soft sleeper tickets on the days we wanted so definitely reserve in advance. On one trip we got our homestay in Saigon to buy the tickets in advance and they had them biked around to their place. Apparently, many accomodation providers will do this for you.

Whichever way you do it ask them to try for tickets NOT at the end of the carriages as there tends to be a congregation of smokers there and the smoke gets sucked into those cabins.

CounterClifton

Thanks for your responses.

CaliNurse - I looked at your agent's site and she offers a lot! I don't think we have very much left to book now (at least not that we're intending to plan out) except for these fiddly little things but she does sound like one of the good ones. I'll keep her info in case we decide to book something once there.

crellston - we feel the same way about reserving in advance. We're usually pretty flexible but the idea of making the overnight with a family in regular seats wasn't appealing. And I did wonder if sleepers sold out. We'll probably try to sort something out from here for that reason and then collect the tix in Hanoi. I'd called the Melbourne agent here early last week and then followed up with an email but never got a quote back. Got busy with work and then we hit the 4 day weekend. Not sure tickets would make it at this point, really, even across town. So with luck, our card will work with an agency there! (and it seems to be cheaper to go with someone not in Australia)

Great advice about the smoking end of the carriage. Something I've not heard before. Thanks for that.

crellston

You are welcome. I forgot to add that I read there are new carriages on some services which are much better than the old ones. Would be worth googling for more info and trying to book one of those.

CounterClifton

Thanks for that too crellston. My wife ended up contacting the in country agent mentioned on Seat61, who was very prompt. However, they confirmed what we saw on the website, that only one compartment was left on the SE1 train the night we're wanting to go.

Seems to be back there where the smokers hang out unfortunately, but at least we got on. They're doing e-tickets now with the QR code you can print out at home. Very handy!