OK, lets make sure I've got this right, the train leaves at 06:15 and that's morning, right? You want me at the station a half hour early for boarding so now we're talking 05:45. Yikes, means getting up around 04:00, do taxi's even operate at that hour of the night? Just to make sure I stopped in to see the friendly neighborhood motorbike taxi guy. Sure enough the day of the trip at 05:25 he was ringing for me as I scrambled to get my pack together and downstairs to mount up on the back of his bike.

This trip I'm trying out the new 5 Star travel train operating between Ho Chi Minh city and Nha Trang via Phan Theit and Phang Rang. A joint venture of the Vietnam Railroads Corporation and private investors. Their are four levels of service running out of Ho Chi Minh City and return from Nha Trang, business class at 2,400,000 dong (ow) for a four person cabin, 5 star Club 450,000 dong (ow) and the one I chose, deluxe at 330,000 dong(ow) and standard at 220,000 dong (ow).

I took a peak at the business class cabins, very nice, wood interiors, nice couches and good sound proofing. My 5 star cub pick was OK, while the interior looked rather home made-ish with being bench seats out of laminate and cushions set on top. The staff, while not un friendly, didn't talk to me other than a few words it took to show me my seat and during the giving of the mini bottle of mineral water and the treasured cellophane wrapped, moist paper towels. Mostly during the trip they stayed pretty busy talking among them selves, napping and planning out how to be first off the train.

Good scenery along the way, from the back streets of Ho Chi Minh City to rural farm scape's and a bit of the coast, along with lots of varied country side. It's about an 8 hour trip so you have plenty of time to look out the window.

There are numerous prerecorded verbose announcements mostly as a station is passed or at the start or at the end of the journey. They are in both Vietnamese and very condescending sounding England type English or maybe it's not really condescending but just their way.

They have a dinning car serving breakfast and dinner. A bit pricey and disappointing that it was mostly western fair, including Lipton tea and even more strange strange because no one spoke much English. They also had a long list of unknown expensive wines to choose from and limited selection of beer which mine was served in a paper cup.

Had an omelet for breakfast, with iced Vietnamese coffee on the trip out, tab of 65,000 dong, Returning to Saigon I debated between deep fried tuna at 60,000 dong and steak with mustard sauce and fries at 160,000 dong. Ended up with the steak, it looked a bit strange but was tender and tasty, the mustard sauce turned out to be a side of mustard. With a Heineken to wash it down down my total tab was 160,000 dong.

The best part of the trip for me but probably not for the company was that I was one of 9 passengers aboard the 3 cars. I rearranged the cushions on my couch, stretched out with my book as the clackaty clack and the chugging of the engine lulled me away.