Adam from the US and Kathryn, Canadian nationality, is a couple who have passion for travel. They have been to many countries all over the world, such as Germany, Denmark, Finland, Mexico, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.

On their YouTube channel with 200,000 followers, the couple often post videos about their journeys to many places and impressive experiences, attracting hundreds of thousands of viewers.

In Vietnam, they spent time discovering famous attractions, taking a 5-star train from HCM City to Da Nang, visiting Tu Lan Cave in Quang Binh, and riding a motorbike in Ha Giang.

Adam and Kathryn said the tour was the most memorable and significant trip they had ever had after many years of traveling.

Bustling cities, delicious street food, beautiful landscapes, cultural and historical values, and appealing experiences all make Vietnam a great destination for foreign travelers.

One of the most impressive experiences was their journey on the 5-star train.

“We chose to travel on the train because we wanted to see as many beautiful landscapes of the country as possible. This was much more interesting,” Kathryn said.

To ensure their privacy and convenience, they chose a VIP air-conditioned sleeper cabin, priced at VND2 million per ticket.

She said the chamber was well decorated and much nicer than the trains they had taken before. It was fully furnished with clean and neatly folded sheets, pillows, mattresses, a coffee table, and storage unit under the bed and above the door.

The chamber was designed for two passengers with two berths. Kathryn was shy about sleeping with strangers, so they chose the chamber.

As the train departed late in the evening, Adam and Kathryn took time to rest. The couple said the only negative point of the journey was that the air conditioners sometimes did not work.

“I had a little trouble with sleep last night, not because of the noise or the shaking of the train, but because it was a bit hot. However, it just lasted a short time as train officers fixed the problem with the air conditioners,” Adam said.

The couple said that taking a train was a worthy sacrifice as they could see diverse natural landscapes as the train passed by.

“Interrupted sleep was what we could anticipate because we were in a moving train. But when we got up and looked out the window, we could see the countryside at sunrise, the buffaloes in the fields. We also saw the ocean and mountains,” Kathryn said.

Adam and Kathryn also visited the kitchen on the train to have breakfast. They chose coffee before they began a new day.

“The coffee was really good. I saw the officer pouring a little condensed milk and I thought this made the coffee sweeter and more fragrant,” Kathryn said. 

Adam said the coffee had a strong flavor and tasted like hot chococate. They later ordered more coffee from a vending machine served by train officers.

The train arrived in Da Nang at 4 pm. Kathryn said the peaceful sites were a respite from the noise of big cities.

From Da Nang, the couple traveled to Hoi An in Quang Nam province, 35 kilometers from Da Nang, by car.

Thao Trinh