The distance by train between Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) and Hanoi is just short of 1,100 miles and you can travel between the two cities in around 34 hours on one of five direct daily trains running on the 'Reunification Express' route. Our trip from south to north sees us stopping at Mui Ne, Quy Nhon, Hoi An, Hue, Dong Hoi and Ninh Binh before eventually arriving at Hanoi just before Christmas. Making these stops allows for us to catch 'day trains' travelling in soft class seating rather than travelling by sleeper and missing the landscapes of Vietnam.

The trip to Mui Ne required an early start for us to catch the 06.40 departure from Saigon railway station (despite the city being renamed in 1976 to HCMC) to Phan Thiet which is a journey of just under four hours. Phan Thiet is at the end of a short branch line off the main line (at Binh Thuan) and from the terminus it was a 9 mile taxi ride to the beach resort at Mui Ne. Despite the early start Vietnamese Railways seem to love playing loud music and TV shows on screens in the 'soft class' carriages - most people however just seemed to want to sleep.

After HCMC the relaxing pace of life in Mui Ne was quite welcome and with our hotel giving direct access to the beach it certainly was a world away from the hustle and bustle of the big city. The large beach, which was far cleaner than expected, is also popular with kite surfers when the weather conditions are good. Our three nights was enough for us to get a bit of rest and relaxation and enjoy some food, drink and time planning our USA road trip, amongst other travel ideas, whilst watching the sea and walking along the beach from hotel bar to hotel bar! Other than the beach and the one main road - which is lined with shops selling clothes and other tat plus lots of restaurants - there is not too much to do other than shop, eat and drink along with a high number of Russian tourists. Heather's Russian language skills were useful in a bit of translation again.

Our second railway journey needed us to get to Binh Thuan on the main line in order to catch train SE8, the 09.30 departure to Dieu Tri, from where we got a taxi for the short trip to Quy Nhon. There is a branch line to our destination but the one train a day does not connect with any of the trains headed from south to north. Our journey, again in soft class, was just under eight hours to cover the 285 miles. Wallowing water buffalo, rice paddies, mountains and brief glimpses of the sea was had before the rain came down along with low cloud and grey skies. Vendors, both official and not, seemed to ply for business selling drinks and food endlessly as we travelled north but we were also joined by a small mouse than seemed to have made the train its home scurrying around the coach!

Our full day in Quy Nhon was marred by intermittent heavy rain which did not make for the best conditions for exploring the coastal city. This place could possibly be quite pleasant once they have finished the waterfront promenade area, but very few places really shine under grey sky and heavy rain so it would not be fair to comment too much on the city itself. Our accommodation, The Seagull Hotel, had great views over the bay and the Enjoy Cafe a sort walk away in the city provided us with a reasonable lunch including German sausage, beer and music which made a nice change to rice and noodles. Hopefully the weather will clear for our journey to Danang and then onto Hoi An which will be a shorter hop with just a five and a quarter hour journey.