Thu Minh of Hanoi went online to buy train tickets for her family’s trip to Da Nang City this weekend but was surprised to find many trains fully booked.

A train linking Thua Thien – Hue and Da Nang City in central Vietnam.

Of the nine trains running then SE17 had just two sleeper berths available and SE11 had three.

Trains to Nghe An and Quang Binh Province also had few sleeper berths left with some trains being fully booked.

Minh said: "I didn’t expect train tickets in June to be this hard to get. My family might have to postpone our trip to next month."

The Vietnam Railways Corporation’s ticketing website shows that trains between Hanoi and central and southern provinces have limited sleeper berths available on weekends through June.

A spokesperson for the Railway Transport Joint Stock Company said over 620,000 tickets have been sold so far this summer, and passenger numbers are projected to increase by 8-10% from last year by the time the vacation period ends.

Analysts attribute the high demand to competitive ticket prices for families, free travel for children under six and the availability of various conveniences for those with young children. Groups get discounts of 3-15%.

Service quality and facilities have seen big improvements in recent years. Many routes pass through picturesque landscapes, making trains to central Vietnam especially popular.

Even high-quality trains between Hanoi and Da Nang are often fully booked despite fares going up to VND1.3 million (US$50) for sleeper berths.

The railroad service is expanding this summer. More trains have been added on the Hanoi–Hai Phong City route.

There are also three more trains between Ninh Thuan Province and Da Lat, the tourist hotspot in the highlands, bringing the total to six.

More trains have also been added between Hanoi and the Chinese capital Beijing, with seats now available daily.

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