Skipping the expressway: Hanoi–Hai Phong's sightseeing train tops 1.33 million cumulative riders

The tourist train Hoa Phuong Do (named for the red flamboyant blossom that is Hai Phong's city flower), linking Hanoi and Hai Phong, has run about 3,000 services and carried some 1.33 million passengers since it launched on May 10, 2025, VietnamPlus reported on July 22. With four round trips a day, it draws 2,500–3,000 riders on weekdays and 5,500–6,000 on weekends and holidays. Hanoi to Hai Phong runs about 1.5–2 hours of driving by limousine bus on Expressway 5B (105.5 km)—2–3 hours including city pickup and drop-off—while the train takes 2.5 hours. We'll use only the published figures to check why the seats still fill and whether residents and business travelers can actually use it.

1.33 million is the 'cumulative total for the first year since opening'

First, let's pin down the timeframe of the figures.About 1.33 million passengers, about 3,000 runsis the cumulative total built up from the launch on May 10, 2025 to the first anniversary on May 10, 2026. The figure Railway.Supply reported for the anniversary matches the one VietnamPlus cited on July 22 as 'since entering service in May 2025.' You can't read it as adding 1.33 million every year.

The rolling stock, as Vietnam Railways (VNR) laid out in a May 5, 2025 announcement, is 20 newly built cars in three seat classes: a 34-seat VIP car, a 56-seat first-class car with seats that rotate 180 degrees, and a 64-seat standard car, running as HP1/HP2, LP5/LP6, LP2/LP3 and LP7/LP8. Tran Van Hanh, head of the Hai Phong Railway Transport Branch, explains that beyond interiors inspired by Hai Phong, buses, motorbike rental, city tours and a digital tourist map can all be accessed via QR codes on board. According to the branch, revenue on the Hanoi–Hai Phong line grew 15% year on year in the first half of 2026.

Only tens of minutes behind the expressway bus, yet the train is being chosen

The Hanoi–Hai Phong railway is 102 km, and the parallel Expressway 5B is 105.5 km. On booking sites, limousine buses depart hourly from the 5 a.m. hour to the 9 p.m. hour; via the expressway the actual run is one and a half to two hours, or two to three hours including in-city transfers, with fares around 220,000–250,000 dong (about 1,360–1,540 yen). The bus wins on the ease of door-to-door service, but the time gap narrows to anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour depending on conditions.

Even so, people are shifting to the train because it competes on a different axis. Arrival times unaffected by traffic jams, room to move around inside the carriage, and a lower fare floor. From June 15 to August 16, 2026, Vietnam Railways is cutting weekday fares by 10%, and by adding AI-based dynamic pricing it's offering roughly 20–25% off on the remaining short segments (Hànộimới, June 15). Where bus fares are fixed, the railway can create “cheap days and expensive days.” This is the mechanism for catching both tourist demand and weekday demand with the same carriages.

Comparing fares and travel times

The fares are the current band per a June 15, 2026 Hanoimoi report. In VNR's launch announcement, the VIP car was 250,000 dong on weekdays and 300,000 on weekends, first class 150,000 and 180,000, and standard 105,000 and 130,000 -- so they've edged up over the year. Several booking sites agree on a journey time of 2 hours 25 minutes to 2 hours 45 minutes. Departure times differ by source, so it's better to check the exact time on the official booking site.

The branch manager's comment, the earnings, and the commuter train's utilization

Assessment of this route comes from three directions with differing stakes. One is branch director Tran Van Hanh, who cites the combination of carriage design and onboard tourism services as an achievement, pointing to a 15% rise in route revenue in the first half.

The second is VNR's first-half results. Passengers came to 3.9 million, up 5.2%; consolidated revenue topped 5.2 trillion dong (about 32.1 billion yen), up 4.1%; and after-tax profit exceeded 180 billion dong (about 1.1 billion yen), reaching 151% of the annual target. Transport-segment revenue was 3 trillion dong (about 18.5 billion yen), up 8.8%, and charter trains ran 13 services for over 16 billion dong (about 99 million yen). By route, Hanoi–Lao Cai rose 27%, Hanoi–Da Nang 12%, and Hanoi–Hai Phong over 12% in revenue (a different tally from the branch head's cited 15% rise). The picture clearly shows tourist routes lifting the whole.

The third is the demand-side record, and it's the most interesting. A train run for civil servants between Hai Duong and Hai Phong carried just under 400 services and more than 170,000 people in nine months, with average seat occupancy over 90%. Between Hanoi and Phu Ly, a train for Bach Mai Hospital patients started on June 26 and carries about 400 people per weekday service. Raise the fare per seat with tourist trains; fill occupancy with commuter and hospital trains. Hoa Phuong Do's 1.33 million makes sense once you place it as one wing of this two-part setup.

For residents and business travelers actually planning a trip, what to nail down

The place it pays off is on weekdays. If the 10% weekday discount applies, the 120,000-dong floor for a general seat becomes 108,000 dong, about 670 yen. Book a bus the same day and it's around 1,360 yen, a gap of about 700 yen. More than the amount itself, the question is whether that gap buys you seat width and punctuality. For a business trip with a fixed meeting time, the railway—free of jam risk—is easier to plan around. Vietnam Railways also runs other summer discounts, and we've compiled the buying tips before (Vietnam Railways offers 10% off in summer—tips for buying a cheaper sleeper trip）。

Watch out for the departure station. Per a booking site's guidance as of September 2025, on weekdays HP1/HP2 leave from Hanoi Station and LP3/LP5/LP7 from Long Bien Station, while on weekends all trains leave from Hanoi Station. Hanoi Station and Long Bien Station are several kilometers apart in the city, and getting it wrong isn't recoverable. As with the timetable, the safe move is to trust the station name shown on the booking screen exactly as it appears.

For groups, the '3tang1' (buy 4, get 3) and '6tang2' (buy 8, get 6) deals apply Monday through Thursday. According to Hanoimoi, these group tickets can't be changed, refunded or combined with other discounts. They don't suit business trips with shifting plans; think of them as for company trips or family travel with fixed dates.

It's worth settling how you'll get around after you arrive, too. As the branch head explains, on-board QR codes link to buses, motorbike rental and city tours, but Hai Phong is also a city where food gathers within walking distance of the station. We covered in a separate article how a downtown congee shop caught fire on social media (A Mbappé-lookalike offal-porridge cook: the night a Hai Phong neighborhood went viral). Taking a late-morning train and spending the time until dinner walking the city is a realistic way to plan it.

Hai Phong is shifting from a "stopover" to a "starting point"

The railway is applying the same idea elsewhere with the Hue–Da Nang heritage train, launched in March 2026. It runs two round trips a day, adds a special sightseeing stop at Lang Co, and works in views of the Hai Van Pass, live traditional music onboard, and regional cuisine. The result: an 11% rise in passengers against a 41% rise in revenue.Revenue grew nearly four times faster than passenger numbersThis means they didn't add seats but raised the fare per seat. Hoa Phuong Do's VIP car is a product of the same thinking. VNR is further planning a 190 km Hue–Dong Hoi line linking Hue, the Quang Tri old citadel, the Vinh Moc tunnels and Phong Nha–Ke Bang National Park.

The changes on the Hai Phong side point the same way. On July 25, 2025, a direct flight from Hai Phong was added, creating a route from the north to Phu Quoc (The northern skies open up: a Hai Phong–Phu Quoc direct flight launches July 25). Once the railway from Hanoi links up with the airport, Hai Phong becomes not a day trip from Hanoi but the starting point of an itinerary. For residents, it means one more option: "maybe I won't have to go all the way back to Noi Bai Airport."

Things to check before boarding

Summary

Hoa Phuong Do's 1.33 million isn't the record of a route that lost to the expressway being revived by tourist demand. It moves fares by the day, sells onward travel from inside the carriage, and fills weekdays with commuters. That combined feat is what produced 1.33 million cumulative riders and a 15% first-half revenue gain.

If you'll be traveling in the north next, three steps are enough. First, see whether you can shift your dates to a weekday. Next, confirm the departure time and station (Hanoi Station or Long Bien Station) on the actual screen of the official booking site. Last, outside peak season a standard seat is plenty, so put what you save toward food in Hai Phong. Buses run on the route every hour, so missing the train still leaves you a backup. That ease of mind is the best reason to give the rail line a try.

Sources:VietnamPlus／Việt Nam News／Hànộimới／Vietnam Railways／Railway.Supply／Vexere／MOTOGO