How to get from Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne by train

I was already experienced traveling from Ho Chi Minh City to Mui Ne by minivan. So, this time, I tried the train ride from HCMC to Mui Ne. It was a pleasant ride, and in this article, I will show you the details of how to travel from HCMC to Mui Ne by train.

There is actually no direct train connection between Saigon and Mui Ne, so to travel by train, you need to take the train from Saigon to Phan Thiet city, followed by the bus or taxi from Phan Thiet to Mui Ne.

The train schedule depends on the season. You can check and book online through the official website of Vietnam Railways on dsvn. There is always a train running daily on the weekend from Friday to Sunday, and sometimes on the weekdays.

There are usually extra trains in the holiday season. When I traveled around Reunification Day around the 30th April and 1st May period, there was an extra train STP4 from Saigon to Phan Thiet and SPT3 from Phan Thiet to Saigon, in addition to the original STP1 and SPT2.

Is it worth it taking the train from Saigon to Mui Ne?

I personally think it’s well worth taking the train ride from Saigon to Mui Ne, especially if you’re a slow traveler and you’re enjoying taking the train ride. I enjoyed the calm train ride, away from the road traffic, and the beautiful scenery along the train track.

Taking the minivan is usually quicker than taking the train and the driver will usually drop you directly to your hotel in Mui Ne, so if you want to get to the place as soon as possible, using the minivan or private taxi is a better choice than taking the train.

With the 9-seat minivan, I paid 420k VND for the trip. The minivan didn’t pick me up at my hotel in HCMC, so I needed to pay an additional taxi ride to get to the pick up location.

On the train, I booked a lower bed in the 4 beds cabin, it cost me 439k VND. There are also soft seat options which range from 250k to 280k per person. So, it really depends on what services you want to use, I can’t really compare if the train ride or the van ride is cheaper.

Again, you need an additional Grab taxi to get from your hotel to Saigon station; it was 32k VND in my case. The taxi from Phan Thiet station to Mui Ne is 150k-200k, you can use public buses for cheaper options.

I recommend taking the train from HCMC to Mui Ne if you want to experience the train ride and you are just curious how the train between these two cities look like. There are toilets, and food services right on the train. You can avoid traffic, which is often unpleasant.

You can bring a motorbike from Saigon to Mui Ne, so if you want to do this, taking the train is a much better option than taking the minivan or driving by yourself.

The downside of using the train from HCMC to Mui Ne is the train is not running often, so you need to plan in advance. When I checked the train’s schedule on the Vietnam Railways website during the holiday, there’s two trains running a day, but after that holiday period, some days the train was not running.

As Mui Ne is a popular weekend getaway from HCMC city, the train usually runs on weekends from Friday to Sunday.

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How to buy a train ticket from Saigon to Mui Ne?

I bought the train ticket from the Vietnam Railways official website dsvn.vn. They have Vietnamese and English versions, so you can easily switch between these languages. Be careful of scam websites with names that seem official but usually aren’t.

You just need to choose your departure station, destination, and date of the train, then it’ll show you the availability. There are many options for payment. I choose to pay by using Apple Pay which I feel secure, and I don’t have to put my credit card details on the website.

You can book directly at the station right at the departure time, but it’s best to book in advance, so you can choose the best seat or best bed. I recommend booking in advance at least 1-2 days before the trip.

During holidays such as Reunification Day, you need to book far in advance. I tried to book 2 days before the trip, but it was all filled up.

Should you book the bed or seat on the train from Saigon to Mui Ne?

It’s a short journey, about a 4 hour train ride from Saigon to Phan Thiet, so it’s not necessary to book the bed. The soft seat with air conditioning is comfortable enough.

But, if you want a bit of privacy, the 4-bed room cabin is a good choice. If you’re traveling with family or a group of friends, it’s also a great deal to book a room for your group. I was a solo traveler, and was able to book the bed with only me in the room, which I felt really cool.

The bed (particularly the lower bed) is more expensive than the soft seat, so if you’re on a budget, you can choose the soft seat options. It has reclinable seat, which is also comfortable.

How much is the train ticket from Saigon to Mui Ne?

The train ticket depends on the seat type, the train, and the time. The soft seat with air conditioning ranging from 200k to 280k VND.

The berth inside the 4-bed room ranges from 350k to 480k VND. The berth inside the 6-bed room ranges from 250k to 350k VND. The lower berth is usually more expensive than the upper berth and is often booked more quickly.

I also see that different coaches have different prices. For example, the price is increased for the berth on the 4-beds cabin in Coach 5, Coach 11, and Coach 10. The more expensive coach has nicer decoration, newer toilets, and the beds are a bit bigger.

Saigon Train Station

Saigon Station, aka Ga Saigon in Vietnamese, is located at 1 Nguyễn Thông street, Nhiêu Lộc. It’s in district 3 close to Nhieu Loc -Thi Nghe canal, a few minutes taxi drive from the central area such as Ben Thanh market or Nguyen Hue walking street.

Saigon Station is the last terminal of the Reunification train from North to South Vietnam. Popular routes from Saigon Station are to Phan Thiet, Binh Thuan, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, and Hanoi.

The station is well-equipped with a ticket counter, ticket machine, cafes, fast food, restaurants, ATMs, and a VIP room. When you buy a ticket online, they will ask if you want to use the VIP Room with a 20k extra fee.

The VIP room has air conditioning, seats, and offers a free small bottle of water. You can buy food from there such as instant noodle soup, fried noodle, pho, or banh my.

How to get to Saigon Train Station?

I had my suitcase, so I used a Grab taxi to get to Saigon station. You can use Green SM, which is usually cheaper than Grab during rush hours. I paid 30k VND for a 10 minute ride from Nguyen Thi Minh Khai street to Saigon Station.

If you don’t have a large suitcase, you can consider using Grab Bike or Green SM Bike for cheaper options.

There are also some public buses from different parts of HCMC to Saigon Station, but I personally use riding shared services for my convenience to get to the station on time.

It’s recommended to arrive at the train station 45 minutes before departure. Check-in usually starts 15 minutes before the train leaves.

What’s the train journey from Saigon to Mui Ne like?

I traveled from HCMC to Mui Ne during the Unification Day, so there are two train options a day. The SPT2 leaving Saigon Station from 6.45am and the SPT4 train leaving Saigon Station at 8am.

I took the SPT4 train because I prefer a bit later time during the day, so I can sleep in a bit and have more time to prepare for the trip.

The train journey of the SPT4 journey is Saigon Station (8am) – Di An Station (8.30am) – Bien Hoa Station (8.50) – Binh Thuan Station (11.30am) – Phan Thiet Station (12pm).

My train departed a bit later at 8.30, but it stopped at all of these stations and still arrived at Phan Thiet Station at around 12pm.

The Scenery

The train has big windows, so you can enjoy the views from every corner, both inside and outside your room. There are views of the busy city life in HCMC, bridges, rivers, the countryside area, and the lush greenery.

When the train leaves Saigon Station, I can see the dense urban life just meters away from the tracks. The train passes houses, streets, and shops. I can see people stop in front of the traffic bar waiting for the train to pass.

The train also passes several rivers and bridges such as Bình Lợi Railway Bridge on Saigon River, and Cau Ghenh Bridge and Cau Rach Cat Bridge on Dong Nai river.

There are more greenery and countryside views along the train tracks after Bien Hoa station. You can see banana farms, durian farms, jackfruit farms, rubber plantations, and all kinds of tropical fruits farms.

Near the Binh Thuan station, there are many dragon fruit farms and you can see more mountainous terrain.

The Food and the Facilities

There is a dining car on the train near the front cabin near the driver’s car. You can order simple hot food from the small restaurant from the dining car. There are tables and chairs to sit on but it’s hard to sit.

The food cart running around each car a few times during my train journey. First, he sells drinks such as water, soft drinks, tea, cafe, and milk. In the next round, he sells food such as banh my, boiled coin, boiled eggs, and snacks…

The price is generally cheap on the train and it’s great to try a couple of things from the trolleys for the experience. I had boiled eggs and corn, they were quite nice.

There are toilets in each coach/ car, so you can easily access these wherever you’re staying. It’s not very clean but good to have on the train.

You can walk around different cars for explorations. There are doors between the cars. You need to pull, press the button to open the door. Some doors are automatic.

Phan Thiet Train Station

Phan Thiet Station is a small station that serves trains between Phan Thiet and HCMC. Inside the station, you can find facilities such as a ticket counter, waiting area with seats, small shops selling snacks, and motorbike rental services.

There are also small shops outside of the station with more options for food and drinks.

How to get from Phan Thiet Train Station to Mui Ne?

You can find plenty of taxis at arrival. The typical taxi ride from Phan Thiet station to Mui Ne is 200k-300k VND. You can bargain with the driver.

There are Grab taxis, but if you know how to negotiate it’s cheaper to get a taxi at the station rather than taking a Grab taxi. I paid 150k VND for a ride from the station to my hotel in the central area of Nguyen Dinh Chieu street.

You can ask your hotel to organise the transport for you from and to the Phan Thiet train station. Some hotels might offer free pick up and drop off.

There is a bus number 9 connecting the train station taking you to Mui Ne, but I wasn’t sure if it’s working when I arrived. It’s only mentioned that it runs everyday during the day every 30 minutes. But I found that it’s better to just get a taxi to get directly to the hotel.