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The Vietnam News

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Vietnam inaugurates first five-star express train

Vietnam’s first deluxe express train rolls into service today on the Ho Chi Minh City-Nha Trang city route, with one planned round trip daily. The five-star Express has 10 carriages including six for some 360 passengers and other coaches for restaurant and bar, healthcare center, conferences and massages, among other recreational activities.

The train, with a total investment of some VND16 billion ($994,715), is a joint-venture between the Saigon Transport Company (Vietnam Railway Corporation) and Truong Sinh Advertising Company. It departs HCMC at 6:15am before taking a break at Thap Cham Station en route to Nha Trang for a 1:33pm arrival. The return journey is scheduled to depart from Nha Trang at 2:55pm via Thap Cham to stop in HCMC at 11:18pm. Return tickets cost VND900,000 (US$61.5) for a five-star Club seat, VND660,000 ($41) for a Deluxe seat, and VND440,000 ($27.3) for a Standard seat. Passengers can reserve tickets at www.5starexpress.com.vn.

By Mai Vong - Thanh Nien - December 16, 2006.


Vietnam’s first 5-star train gets rolling tomorrow

The private company 5 Star Express yesterday test-ran its train on the HCMC-Nha Trang route to ensure the first 5-star rail service in the country will begin tomorrow without any glitch.

Phan Thuy Huong, the company’s chairwoman, told the Daily yesterday that everything had been prepared for the first journey to bring 5-star comfort to passengers all the way between HCMC and the central coastal city of Nha Trang in Khanh Hoa Province. The company is confident in its quality services as it has invested much in building the train into a mobile international-standard hotel, she said. She said invitees would occupy 62% of the 332 seats on the train in tomorrow’s trip. The company has already received a lot of bookings until Tet (Lunar New Year holiday), which falls in mid-January. “Tourists have made 60% of the bookings.”

Bookings continue to soar in the lead up to Tet. Huong said passengers could book seats at www.5starexpress.com.vn, Saigon Railway Station from 5 a.m. till 9 p.m. and the company’s office at 297 Pham Ngu Lao Street from 7 a.m. till 9 p.m. everyday. Return tickets cost VND900,000 for a 5-star Club seat, VND660,000 for a Deluxe seat, and VND440,000 for a Standard seat. Huong said bookings for the first two classes made up for the majority, and this showed the demand for a high quality train was huge. The train is scheduled to depart from HCMC at 6:15 a.m. and stop at Thap Cham Station before arriving in Nha Trang at 1:33 p.m. The return trip from Nha Trang to Thap Cham is scheduled for 2:55 p.m. and arrives in HCMC at 11:18 p.m.

By Mong Binh - Saigon Times Daily - December 15, 2006.