The fastest trains take at least 36 hours from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi. Reservations should be made a day or more in advance. The major setback to the railways is that tourists are charged many times more than Vietnamese people in the form of an outrageously high surcharge. For long distance traveling, it is best to fly. Buses The bus system runs almost everywhere within the country, with stations built around the country dividing the territory into regions.
Buses tend to be slow and unreliable.
This island is the largest in the Cat Ba archipelago. It is potentially one of the major beach destinations in Southeast Asia. This region has beautiful beaches and pristine waters. Within the mountains are caves and grottos. The Ben Thanh Market, formerly the main railway terminal, is the largest of the markets scattered throughout the city.