A review of the daytime train service from Lao Cai to Hanoi.

The Hanoi–Lao Cai Railway is a popular way to travel to Sapa. There are two overnight trains to Lao Cai, but on the way back there is an overnight train and a day train.

I wanted to see what the scenery was like on this route, so I took the day train from Lao Cai to Hanoi (train SP8).

Train details

Train Number: SP8
Depart: Lao Cai Railway Station 12:05 pm
Arrive: Hanoi Railway Station 7:37 pm
Duration: 7h 32m

Ticket: 321,000 VND (Buy Lao Cai-Hanoi train tickets)

Sapa to Lao Cai

Most tourists who are going to Lao Cai are going to Sapa (or walking across the border to China). There is a Lao Cai-Sapa public bus that departs from the front of Lao Cai Station and terminates at the Sapa Church.

I got this bus from Sapa Church, and it left on the scheduled time. The bus does a circuit around Lao Cai before terminating at Lao Cai Station. Allow one hour for the trip.

[Bus to Lao Cai in foggy Sapa.]

This is the most useful bus connection I have seen at a train station in Vietnam. I’m still surprised that such a bus service doesn’t exist between Da Nang Station and Hoi An.

Lao Cai Station

Lao Cai Station is close to the city centre, and the station area feels like a real travel hub with hotels and a variety of restaurants.

Check out the guide to Lao Cai Station.

Lao Cai Station is about 2 km from the city centre, and the city is worth a visit if you want to recover from the tourism frenzy of Sapa. Here is my report of a previous visit to Lao Cai.

[SP8 at Lao Cai]

Onboard Train SP8

The trains on the Lao Cai line are operated by Vietnam Railways, but there are some carriages attached that are maintained by tour companies. The Vietnam Railways carriages are the distinctive blue, white, and red. The private carriages have different colours and have their company logo.

I booked a Vietnam Railways bed, but the carriage had a New Livitrans Express logo.

Inside the carriage was decked out in wooden panels, which is not an orthodox VR style. I presume some of these carriages are used if VR carriages aren’t available.

I booked a lower berth in a 4-bed cabin. There are no seats available on this service (or any Hanoi-Lao Cai service), so you are in bed all day.

Each bed has its own personal light and power outlet.

There are western toilets onboard.

And there is also a sink area outside the toilet.

Food and drink

Unlike the North-South Railway, there is no meal service on this train. This makes sense becuase the overnight train is during bed time, and the day train is timed between lunch and dinner. Make sure you have lunch in Lao Cai, otherwise you will be subsisting on a meagre selection of snacks.

I bought a large can of Pringles for 70,000 VND.

There is also a limited drink service.

The coffee consisted of instant coffee satchels for 25,000 VND.

View from the train

The Hanoi – Lao Cai Railway follows the route of the Red River for most of the trip. The river is remarkably straight on the map, but there are still twists and turns along the way.

One of the reasons I took the day train was because I wanted to enjoy the view. It turns out that there is a good view while lying down in bed.

The Red River is never far from view at the start of the line from Lao Cai.

Some sections also have mountain scenery.

The train is slow but were no delays on this line. There are no other passenger trains on this single track, and freight trains wait at passing loops for the passenger train to pass.

The train then travels through Phu Tho Province in the Red River Delta Region, and the landscape opens out to farmland.

It is evening by the time the train reaches Hanoi.

[Crossing Long Bien Bridge.]

The train passes through the Old Quarter section of the Famous Hanoi Train Street.

The train arrived on time to the minute.

Check here for Lao Cai-Hanoi train tickets.

Dong Ha in Quang Tri province has a station on the North-South Railway, and there is also an old station that has been turned into a war memorial park.

The old station is marked as Old Dong Ha Train Station Memorial Park on Google Maps, and it’s closer to the city centre than the current Dong Ha station.

[Map of Dong Ha stations.]

There is nothing left of the old station that would suggest it was a station, but it’s easy to find due its prominent location near a major intersection.

The site includes a US tank and armoured vehicle, and there is this inscription at the memorial.

Translation:

HISTORICAL SITE
ĐÔNG HÀ RAILWAY STATION – BUNKER

This site was originally the area of the Đông Hà railway station, built in 1927 and operated throughout the French colonial period. There is a bunker built in the style of a watchtower, serving the purpose of guarding and protecting the station and National Highway 9.

This place was where the people of Đông Hà and Cam Lộ gathered to welcome the Gaudart delegation demanding civil rights and democracy (February 1937); it was also where revolutionary forces assembled to seize power during the August Revolution. The site also witnessed many struggles of the people against the U.S.-Saigon regime, demanding general elections, independence, freedom, and resisting terror and repression during the years 1954–1972.

Restored in May 2025.

The site includes an M41 Tank.

Description of the tank.

Translation:

THIS IS AN M41 TANK, SERIAL NUMBER USARMY46646,
one of the vehicles belonging to the Saigon Army Cavalry Regiment, captured by the Liberation Army on the Quảng Trị battlefield in 1972.

The other war remnant is an armoured vehicle.

Description of the armoured vehicle.

Translation:

THIS IS AN ARMORED VEHICLE CODED 558
Specialized for maintenance, repair, and towing of technical equipment and armored vehicles of the Saigon army, captured by the Liberation Army on the Quảng Trị battlefield in 1972.

As for details about the old station, there is no information provided. Dong Ha was extensively bombed during the war, and I have not found any photos of the original station. If you know of any photos, contact me to add them here for the record.

[Northbound train passing Old Dong Ha Train Station.]

I’m James Clark, and I write about train travel in Vietnam at Nomadic Notes. I also write about the future railways of Vietnam at Future Southeast Asia.

Rail Vietnam is a guide to train travel that brings together my knowledge of current and future railways of Vietnam.

This site will cover the basics of rail travel in Vietnam, and ideas on where to visit. Most of the websites about Vietnam railways are travel agencies, so I wanted to make an independent guide to help understand train travel in Vietnam.

I will also be tracking the progress of the proposed high-speed railway which will connect Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. The HSR is expected to start construction at the end of 2025 and launch in 2035. It’s an ambitious schedule, but even if it’s completed in that timeline, there is still a decade left to experience the old North-South Railway before it’s replaced.

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