International Railroad Discussion > A First Look at Trains in Hanoi, Vietnam

Upon arrival in Hanoi, Vietnam on February 13, 2025, I had the early afternoon free and headed for the main train station while being careful not to get run over by one of about a million motorbikes and scooters. Legitimately or not, I had free run of the platforms where the only activity was some switching and car cleaning/maintenance. There were lots of passenger cars but no train was scheduled to arrive or depart near the time I was there.

1. The entrance to the Hanoi train station. As you might infer, "Ga" means station somewhat similar to the French 'gare.'

2. I believe this car to be a diner. Note the combination concrete and steel ties. Meter gauge.

3. And I think this is a sleeper. Note the marking for operator Haraco (Hanoi Railway Transport) and the logo of the Vietnam Railways.

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4. I was very happy to find this attractive locomotive doing some switching before disappearing off to the south. This is the most common shunter in Vietnam and can also be seen on the mainline less commonly in freight and passenger service. This is a D12E-class, model DEV736, built by CKD (note the logo on the nose) in Prague, Czech Republic. CKD stands for Ceskomoravska-Kolben-Danek. They date from 1985-1990 and have 1200 hp.

5. A view down the platform showing the generally well-worn passenger cars.

6. Pulling forward in a view showing a lot of the station trackage and various signals.

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7. Having completed its work, the shunter heads off towards the south and disappears from view.

8. The arrival/departure board Part 1. The only train symbols I fully understand are the "SE" ones that refer to the Saigon Express, also referred to the Reunification Express, between Hanoi and Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City). I did not make the effort to learn what LP and SP are. There are trains that go north from Hanoi. Note that most of the action is early in the morning and in the evening.

9. The arrival/departure board Part 2. Note how many of the SE trains there are per day but I believe I read somewhere that not all of them run every day. My experience was that the trains have very good ridership in all four classes. I did not make the effort to learn what SP, NA and HP are. With most of the action in the early morning and evening, it is not easy to catch a train on the famous Train Street in Hanoi.

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Nice series. The locomotive is really different. 

Pedro Rezende
Vespasiano MG,
https://youtube.com/c/minasgeraisrailways1

Interesting group of photos. Heavy passenger traffic on these trains? Look relatively well cared for. Thanks for sharing.

It's interesting that the European language in use is English rather than French despite Vietnam's long period as a French colony.  Another sign of English taking over the world.

You what they said: "The Sun never sets on the Brtish Empire." The Empire just changed its nature.