After booking train ticket online, you will receive either a trip comfirmation (if you have yet to pay the full amount) or eticket (if you have settled full amount in advance). Both of these documents are valid for exchanging tickets at the train station.

Where is the train station?

Hanoi has only 1 train station, but with 2 different gates. Gate A at No. 120 Le Duan Street is the main gate for most North-South trains and Sapa Trains. Gate B at No.1 Tran Quy Cap Street is the departure point for specific trains to neighboring Northern provinces such as Hai Phong, Lang Son, or Dong Dang. If you take a taxi, make sure you tell the driver to take you to Gate A at 120 Le Duan so you don’t have to walk a distance to get to the train.

Where at the station to collect ticket?

At the train station, there is a common office called Pick Up Passengers with logos of King Express/ Orient Express/VN Train. This is a single office where you can get assistance to get on board, exchange ticket and change you ticket. You can do so by showing the voucher that you have and the staff will assist you with exchanging ticket and boarding the train. Location: the office is on the right of the train station, next to the waiting hall.

Boarding the train

After passing through the waiting hall, you will arrive at the train departure area. Make sure you board the correct train, as SP3 and SP7 are separate night trains with different private companies operating their own carriages:

• SP3 departing Hanoi at 22:00: Chapa Express, Damitrans Express, Sapaly Express, King Express, VicSapa Express.
• SP7 departing Hanoi at 22:40:  Chapa Express, Damitrans Express, Sapaly Express, King Express, VicSapa Express, Livitrans, Fanxipan, Family Express

An electronic board above the platform will display the track and train number, helping you locate your train. Once you reach the correct train, use the berth number on your ticket to find your cabin.

Important notes

Paper tickets are usually only printed on the day of departure. This is why passengers often receive an e-ticket voucher in advance. Berth numbers are pre-assigned, so please inform the operator early if you have special requests.

If you book two tickets in a 4-berth cabin, you will normally be assigned one upper and one lower berth.

If you book a single ticket in a shared 4-berth cabin, you may request an upper or lower berth, but final allocation depends on availability.

Train departure/ arrival

All trains in Vietnam departs promptly but their arrival time varies. Sometimes they are late or early by 10-15 minutes, but it can be delayed by 1-2 hour in case of emergency. When you arrange pick up in Lao Cai for example, just let the staff there know which train you are taking and they will check the train hour for you. This is what a 4 berth cabin looks like. For private cabin, the upper berths will be removed or folded so you have more space and privacy.