SJourney, Vietnam's luxury sleeper train that links Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City over eight days, will introduce its top-tier "Imperial Suite" in October 2026. It is a 51-square-meter private cabin that gives one party an entire car out of the 13-car train, priced at 64,000 dollars per person (about 9.9 million yen; converted at roughly 155 yen to the dollar, as below). Far exceeding the priciest courses on Japan's flagship luxury trains, the Shiki-shima and Twilight Express Mizukaze, it is a new summit of rail travel in Asia. Viewed with a "Vietnam travel = cheap" mindset, the price makes you do a double take at the digits, but this train is already a popular product that stays sold out through peak season. We unpack what is going on, comparing it with Japan's luxury trains.
A whole carriage of 51 m², the "Emperor Suite" at 9.9 million yen for 8 days
According to VnExpress, the newly createdImperial Suitemeasures 51 square meters, a design that uses a whole carriage for space equivalent to three standard cabins. The interior draws on French-colonial-era design andIndochine style, and it comes with a private balcony where you can enjoy the scenery in the open air rather than through window glass. The fare is about 1.7 billion dong per person (64,000 dollars, about 9.9 million yen) for the eight-day Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City journey.
The "Suite" launched at the same time has a 17 m² bedroom section, two rooms per car. It's set at about 860 million dong (32,000 dollars, about 5 million yen) for 8 days, exactly half the Emperor Suite. Both rooms come with a dedicated butler, menus customized to your preferences, VIP transfers, and a personalized itinerary, and a premium restaurant car is also planned to be coupled on.
For reference, SJourney's existing standard cabins start at about 200 million dong for eight days (about 7,600 dollars, about 1.2 million yen, at roughly 10,000 dong = about 60 yen). The imperial suite is positioned at more than eight times that.
What kind of train is SJourney — 4–6 departures a month, sold out through peak season
SJourney, which began operating in December 2024, is Vietnam's first full-scale long-distance luxury sleeper train. The formation is 13 carriages in all — one kitchen car, two dining cars, and the rest cabins. Alongside its flagship eight-day Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City run, it also runs shorter courses: four days on Hanoi–Sapa–Ha Long and four days on Ho Chi Minh City–Hoi An.
It runs four to six times a month, and more than 2,000 people have ridden since it launched. The high season from September to April is reported to stay sold out, so the "too expensive—who would ride it" stage is already past. Introducing the Imperial Suite is a move to push the ceiling on spend-per-guest even higher on the back of that track record.
Compared with Shiki-shima and Twilight Express Mizukaze—about twice Japan's top class per night
In Japan, when it comes to "the pinnacle of luxury trains," there's JR East's TRAIN SUITE Shiki-shima and JR West's TWILIGHT EXPRESS Mizukaze. Lining up their top-tier cabins makes the price sense clear.
| Train | Itinerary | The top-class cabin | Price (per person) | Rough per-night estimate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SJourney (Vietnam) | Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City, 8 days (7 nights) | Imperial Suite (51 m², whole-car private hire) | About 9.9 million yen (64,000 dollars) | About 1.41 million yen |
| TRAIN SUITE Shiki-shima | A 4-day, 3-night tour | Shikishima Suite (single occupancy) | 1.95 million yen | 650,000 yen |
| TWILIGHT EXPRESS Mizukaze | A 3-day, 2-night tour (Setouchi / San'in) | The Suite (double occupancy) | 1.37 million yen | About 685,000 yen |
By total price it's 9.9 million yen versus 1.95 million yen, about 5 times; even per night it's roughly twice Japan's top class. That said, Shiki-shima has an entry price of 440,000 yen (1 night/2 days, suite for two) and Mizukaze one of 335,000 yen (1 night/2 days, royal single for two), and "a luxury train = high-1-million-yen range" is top-class territory even in Japan. SJourney's standard cabins also start at about 1.2 million yen, which actually lands close to the lower cabins on Shiki-shima's 3-night, 4-day course.
The decisive difference from Japan is how the product is built. For both Shiki-shima and Mizukaze, the top tier is "the best room within the train's formation," but SJourneySelling an entire car to a single partyWith this idea, it stepped into selling by the carriage rather than by the room. Cabins with balconies are also a feature not found on Japan's regularly scheduled luxury trains.
How locals and the industry see it
Picking up a few local reports and industry reactions shows this pricing isn't a whim.
- SJourney's sales manager told VnExpress, "After about a year and a half of operation, we've been able to establish ourselves as a distinctive slow-travel experience in Vietnamese luxury tourism," positioning the new cabins as a response to higher-end demand.
- VnExpress itself also reports the strength of demand, with the September–April peak season staying sold out.
- British luxury-train booking sites such as the 'Luxury Train Club' already list its pricing and schedule guides, and it is beginning to be treated as a product circulating in the international high-end travel market.
- Travel companies that handle locally departing tours are also running features on it as "Vietnam's first eight-day luxury train," presenting it as something that goes beyond the short-run luxury trains seen so far.
Why does "1.4 million yen a night" work in Vietnam?
The first reason is that Vietnamese tourism itself is shifting the rudder from "volume" to "price per head." In Khanh Hoa Province, a plan for the wealthy to link three bays by seaplane is under way (Article on Nha Trang’s seaplane plan(we covered this in detail), and in Ho Chi Minh City, serving as the hub for international flights,Transfer to the new Long Thanh Airportis underway. Seen within this move toward higher value-add, SJourney's Emperor Suite isn't an outlandish product but rather a symbol.
Second, "length" itself is becoming a scarce value. Both Shiki-shima and Mizukaze run at most four days and three nights, but SJourney is eight days and seven nights. A "moving hotel" experience that crosses the country from north to south without changing hotels once has almost no other option in Asia. Even at twice the per-night price of Japan, a train that can sell a whole seven-night itinerary has no rival.
Third, the buyers are the world’s wealthy, decoupled from Vietnamese prices. The track record of selling out in peak season shows the price benchmark is set not at “how much locally” but “how much on the global luxury-train market.” While Japanese travelers, amid a weak yen, see Vietnam as “a country you can go to cheaply,” the country itself is turning out one product after another priced by global standards — an asymmetry worth keeping in mind, both as a traveler and as someone involved in the tourism business.
This is not someone else's problem for Japanese railway companies either. Product designs like selling by the carriage, cabins with balconies, and a 13-car formation specialized for food experiences including a kitchen car serve as reference points when thinking about the next move for the Shiki-shima and Twilight Express Mizukaze. Against the Japanese model that narrows demand through lotteries and membership, SJourney moved toward adding cabin tiers and opening up the ceiling on per-person prices.
Practical info — a realistic way to ride, and the "opposite" option
Here's the information readers can act on right away.
| Item | Details |
|---|---|
| Train name | SJourney |
| Main itinerary | Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City 8 days / Hanoi–Sapa–Ha Long 4 days / Ho Chi Minh City–Hoi An 4 days |
| When the new cabin arrives | October 2026 (Imperial Suite, Suite) |
| Fare guide | Standard cabin from about 1.2 million yen / suite about 5 million yen / imperial suite about 9.9 million yen (all for 8 days, one person) |
| Frequency of service | 4–6 times a month |
| Best timing to book | The September–April peak stays booked up, so early reservations are a must. May–August is a comparatively easier time to get seats |
For those who feel "9.9 million yen is another world," there are realistic entry points in the four-day course or the standard cabin. As an opposite option, you can also travel Hanoi-Ho Chi Minh City on Vietnam Railways' ordinary sleeper trains, and this summer there are fare discounts too. The trick to buying isArticle on the summer 10% off on Vietnam Railwaysso please experience the fascination of a 'few-thousand-yen sleeper' and a '9.9-million-yen suite' running side by side on the same tracks.
Summary — a story that updates the "cheap Vietnam" preconception
SJourney's Emperor Suite isn't just news about a pricey cabin; it's an indicator that Vietnamese tourism has entered a stage of competing in the world's luxury market. As next actions: (1) luxury-train fans should check availability and prices for the 8-day courses from October 2026 on the official site; (2) those who just want to try it first should consider the 4-day course or a standard cabin; (3) the budget-minded can see the same window first via a regular Reunification Express sleeper plus a summer discount. This three-tier approach is recommended. The same Hanoi–Ho Chi Minh City trip can cost 1.2 million yen, 9.9 million yen, or a few thousand yen. This range is exactly what makes Vietnam interesting right now.
Sources
- A first look at the $64,000 train suite through Vietnam – VnExpress International
- Vietnam to launch ultra-premium train suite packages costing up to $64,000 – VnExpress International
- SJourney Vietnam Luxury Express – Prices & Dates – Luxury Train Club
- Beyond The Vietage: Meet “SJourney,” Vietnam’s First 8-Day Luxury Train – Tonkin Travel
- 2026 edition: what are the lowest and highest fares for TRAIN SUITE Shiki-shima?
- 2026 edition: What are the lowest and highest fares for the TWILIGHT EXPRESS Mizukaze?
