The Reunification Express is a railway service linking Vietnam's major cities of Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon) and Hanoi. Officially inaugurated on October 1936 by French colonists this railway has around 1000 miles. The name came later in 1976 following the political reunification of Vietnam. Nowadays, despite the improvements on the service, it takes around 30 hours to make the entire route. This is a unique experience in which you seem to be held hostage by time. Everyone takes it with a smile while staring at the countless rice fields or along the world-class coastal scenery between Danang and Hué.