The Vietage by Anantara – Luxury Railway Journey, Vietnam
Han Sen Hau
It’s been 220 years since Trevithick’s steam locomotive hauled iron along the Merthyr Tramroad, 90 years since the release of Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express, 60 years since the birth of the world’s first high-speed rail line in Japan, and today, The Yum List’s very first luxury railroad travel experience in Vietnam.
An enormously contrived association, yes, but we just couldn’t withhold our excitement when we first received confirmation that we would be writing about one of Southeast Asia’s most opulent railroad travel experiences–The Vietage by Anantara. The Vietage operates two separate railway carriages, each with a capacity of twelve passengers, and both travelling from separate directions along the same coastal route. Pulled by D19E diesel locomotives run by the Saigon Railway Transport (SRT), The Vietage is subject to SRT’s schedule, so departure and arrival times may differ slightly from what’s advertised on its website, though honestly, that’s part of the beauty of train travel–slowing down.
As part of our time in Vietnam, we travelled with The Vietage from Da Nang to Quy Nhon and then from Quy Nhon to Nha Trang. This meant that we were able to enjoy the lunch and afternoon tea experiences offered on both routes, along with magnificent views of Central Vietnam’s idyllic landscapes. Only the Quy Nhon to Da Nang route features the dinner experience and sleeper cabins, but as passengers will essentially be travelling in the dark, it may be better to plan trips around the southbound route.
The Vietage First Leg: Da Nang – Quy Nhon
An 8:00 am departure time and a 45-minute drive from Anantara Hoi An to the Da Nang Station meant that we were up just as the sun penetrated the skies. With an early start comes a complimentary breakfast pack by the hotel, complete with a box full of pastries, fresh fruit, juice, and cheese selection to fuel our journey.
After we arrived at the station, which was already abuzz with activity from station masters aggressively blowing admonishments through their whistles and hawkers excitedly showing off their wares, we were whisked away by Y, our train butler for the next six hours, to an air-conditioned holding room where she first presented us the best thing anyone could ever receive from The Vietage, the train tickets with our names on them. A bottle of sparkling Taltarni brut was poured into flutes for us at 7:30 am to secure our bias for a splendidly fabulous time on board the train, and it didn’t feel long before we felt the rumbling of the ground and heard the blaring horns that signalled the arrival of our transport for the morning.
Our suitcases, now conspicuously tagged with The Vietage’s luggage tags, were hauled onto the carriage by Tien, the assistant train manager, and as we climbed up the steps and into the carriage, we immediately knew that the next six hours would just fly by so swiftly and prayed that our phones would have enough storage capacity for all the pictures and videos we’d be taking. Best of all, we had the entire carriage to ourselves, so of course, we contorted our bodies in weird angles simply to capture the beauty of it all.
There are six private cabins with a foldable table and a pair of seats in each. Perforated rattan blinders offer a little privacy for each cabin, though passengers could draw up the heavier curtains from within to completely conceal themselves in their cabins. Charging points are located under the table, and a comfort pouch containing slippers, a blanket, an eye mask, and a neck pillow is tucked underneath the seats. Dig a little deeper to the side of the pouch, and you will also find a brushing kit, vanity kit, comb, and hairband that you can utilise inside the restroom, which is exclusive to The Vietage passengers.
A fully operational bar sits in the middle of the carriage, and all drinks off their menu are available to passengers as part of the fare paid, including a selection of house pours, a curated list of local craft gin (Sông Cái, Lady Trieu, Saigon Baigur), and cocktails, all expertly mixed, stirred, and poured by the train butler. The only exception to this would be the sturgeon caviar, cheese platter, Champagne, and a couple of wine bottles, all of which come with an additional price tag. From our experience, the sheer number of concoctions the team could conjure from the standard menu was more than satisfactory for the journey, and we were completely satisfied from departure to arrival.
We began with morning drinks: a lusciously creamy Café Dùa and a sobering Mulberry Leaf Tea served with pain au chocolat and croissant.
Right as we wiped our lips clean, we were invited by Tuyen, the train therapist, for a 15-minute head and shoulder massage in the massage room. You read that right: complimentary therapy for your sore muscles on board a moving train, and Tuyen did not miss a single pressure point. Our only advice for passengers is to dress comfortably for this, i.e. no tight dresses or thick clothing, as the massage chair’s position is set to sports bike. It was a little awkward to lean forward against the seat initially, but once Tuyen got to work on those pesky knots, our bodies just melded with the seat.
A refreshing tea mix of cinnamon, mint, basil, pineapple, ginger, and a tinge of brown sugar awakened our senses after the massage, but as we only had six hours on the train and we still had an impressive drinks menu to conquer, we decided to blow off steam and going off the rails with a pair of cocktails… named Blow Off Steam and Off The Rails. The former was a punchy Margarita for 10:30 am, while the latter was a smoky whisky with dribbles of honey and charred thyme that paired exceptionally well with the smooth jazz playlist on the train.
Speaking of pairings, our boozy morning complemented the breathtaking scenery that whizzed past us, and it was undeniable that the train was one of the best ways to immortalise Vietnam in our minds. Rail travel is distinctively different from cruises or planes because you’re that much closer to the ground where all the action happens: from farmers tending to the fields to the stray motorcyclist trying to match his speed with the train as he navigates winding paths that trace the perimeter of a lake bursting with blushing lotus flowers. Your window essentially becomes a film reel as the train speeds past landscapes that look like they’ve been painted on canvas.
Lunch is served at 12:30 p.m. As there is no functioning kitchen on the train, all passengers submit their meal preferences days before they board the train. Yet, even in the absence of a kitchen, The Vietage team was able to plate beautiful three-course meals for us to conclude our journey.
We had the Homemade Duck Terrine and Green Bean and Quinoa Salad for starters, and these were paired with a light Chateau Puech-Haut Argali Rosé. The sweetness from the figs and strawberry sauce balanced the savouriness of the terrine, while the green bean and quinoa salad surprised with a ticklish hit of spice from the Hoi An chilli sauce.
We ordered a Salmon Filet and a Barley Risotto paired with a fruity Chilean Chardonnay for the mains. Considering these were prepared and packed off the train, the entrées were still pleasant to the palate, and the Roasted Chilli Beurre Blanc was especially delicious with the salmon. The Barley Risotto would please mushroom lovers, and we appreciate the generous shavings of asparagus, dried tomatoes, and pesto sauce.
Our sweet course arrived in the form of a Passion Fruit Tart and Da Lat Strawberries, and we enjoyed these fruity treats with a Café Con Miel and a Café Tonic (easy guess as to who ordered the sweeter liquid). We took our time with these as we had been very well fed at this point (remember the breakfast pack by the hotel?), and we simply wanted the pleasant moments to last just a little longer before we alighted at our destination, Dieu Tri Station in Quy Nhon.
As if sensing our impending sadness of having to leave the train, Y then presented us with our parting gift, dark chocolates made in the shape of The Vietage carriage, before assisting us off the carriage, thus ending the first leg of The Vietage experience.
The Vietage Second Leg: Quy Nhon – Nha Trang
Four days later, we were back at Dieu Tri Station for our five-hour afternoon tea train ride from Quy Nhon to Nha Trang. As before, we were advised to arrive at least 45 minutes early, though, unlike the larger station at Da Nang, we were ushered into a cafe where a bottle of bubbly was served while we waited. Once again, our hearts did a little happy dance when we received our second ticket, and as we weren’t the only ones boarding the carriage for this leg, there were five staff members to look after us: train butler supervisor Binh, and train butlers Dai Vy, Hue, Vy, and Dieu.
We were all aboard at 2:30 pm as the train slowly chugged away from the station. Our mission this time remained the same as the last: to dominate their menu as much as we can, so we kicked off our journey with a Café de Olla and a Café Frappe. The milky and foamy Café de Olla really didn’t disappoint with its cinnamon-y profile, while the Café Frappe was a jolt to the senses. Once we were buzzed from the coffee, Hue then commenced her mandatory shoulder massage sessions, and we were back to our biking positions.
The next two hours were an absolute delight on the train, and I daresay that the view on the Quy Nhon – Nha Trang route is superior to the preceding Da Nang – Quy Nhon route. While we still didn’t see much of the coastline (yet), we passed by even more verdant fields that looked like Hokusai’s ukiyo-e landscapes, misty mountains that probably hid dragons, and the occasional narrow passageway where the train came to a complete halt, probably to allow residents along said passageway to collect their artefacts off the tracks.
At 5:00 pm, just as the South China Sea opened up to us towards the left, afternoon tea was served. Everything about afternoon tea on The Vietage was a work of art and a workout for the butlers. It still arrives in the form of a three-tiered tower that’s glued to the table (with the aid of rubber stoppers) and packed with bite-sized treats, so watching this arrive on a train that swayed and bounced, then having the butler pour a super fragrant Oriental Beauty Madam tea into cups without any spillage was a marvel to behold.
It was a good thing we came as a pair, for that meant we could sample all eight different types of savoury sandwiches served, from classic Egg and Watercress to localised variants like Da Lat Mozzarella, Tomato, Basil, and Balsamic Reduction. I’m prejudiced towards the Banh Mi here because there hasn’t been a single bad baguette throughout our entire trip in Vietnam, though the Gravlax and Avocado, along with the Coronation Hmong Chicken, also rank high on my list.
The sweeter side of things resided on the highest tier, with a Lemon Tart, Strawberry Cheesecake, Passion Fruit Eclair, Opera Cake, and Quy Nhon-style Mung Bean Cake. Served on the side of the tower, we also enjoyed crisp scones served with clotted cream, strawberry jam, and kumquat jam, plus a delectable Poached Bai Dai Lobster and Da Lat Caviar with Homemade Blinis. The latter was such a pleasure to the senses that it disappeared in two bites only because we were polite.
Of course, we couldn’t forget the cocktails, so we ordered an All Aboard and The Vietage Tropical Mule for a burst of colour and some zest to go with the desserts. By 6:30 pm, we started to lose visibility from the outside as the sun vanished behind the mountains in the west, and the final Cheese and Charcuterie Platter was rolled out right as we licked the cocktails glasses clean. Camembert, Ham Chorizo, Smoked Scamorza, Ham Salami, Tomme Cheese, and Iberico Ham were our companions post-dessert (and pre-dinner as we were arriving for a feast at Six Senses!) until our arrival.
Saying goodbye was the hardest once more, though the team attempted to temper our sadness with another parting gift—a tin of green tea from North Vietnam this time. We arrived at Nha Trang station at 7:40 pm, an hour’s delay from our scheduled arrival, but we would be lying if we said we didn’t appreciate the additional hour on the train.
Final Thoughts
The Vietage by Anantara is an experience that is impossible to replicate anywhere else in Central Vietnam, and while it is a slower way to travel from location to location (everyone we asked about the trip said it would be faster to travel by car), passengers are rewarded with impeccable service and majestic views that neither highways nor skies could provide.
Our comfort in both legs of our journey from Da Nang to Nha Trang was secured through the tireless efforts of the team on board, so we have nothing but gratitude and love for Tien, Y, Tuyen, Binh, Dieu, Dai Vy, Hue, and Vy, all of whom essentially completed flawless performances in a narrow carriage without breaking a sweat and with a smile on their faces.
Finally, we would once again heavily recommend the southbound route from Da Nang to Quy Nhon as one of the best ways to experience The Vietage. Simply fly into Da Nang, then take the train down south, and fly out of Cam Ranh International Airport. Also, as Anantara only leases the carriage and not the train, don’t schedule anything too tightly at your arriving destination and just enjoy the slower pace of life.
Reasons to travel on The Vietage by Anantara: It feels like stepping into a 1940s MGM film noir set in Central Vietnam, and you’d half expect Katherine Hepburn or Cary Grant to peek through the rattan blinders in their trench coats and high-waisted trousers – in other words, a classy ride; the phenomenal treatment from the friendly team; majestic views that are exclusive only to train travel; free-flowing drinks; the athleticism and dexterity displayed over serving afternoon tea in a moving carriage.
The Vietage by Anantara
www.thevietagetrain.com
The Vietage by Anantara 2024 Pricing
(i) Da Nang – Quy Nhon
(ii) Quy Nhon – Nha Trang
(iii) Nha Trang – Quy Nhon
USD420 each route
Quy Nhon – Da Nang (sleeper cabins): USD315
The Vietage by Anantara 2025 Pricing
i) Da Nang – Quy Nhon
(ii) Quy Nhon – Nha Trang
(iii) Nha Trang – Quy Nhon
USD450 each route
Quy Nhon – Da Nang (sleeper cabins): USD340
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