The Don Ca arch bridge at kilometer 764+531 on the North-South railway, at the northern foot of Hai Van Pass in Hue City, has long attracted visitors.
Phuong Nguyen Silk, a traveler who works in Da Nang, said that at Don Ca Bridge she could climb the mountains, look out over the sea and take photos in a setting that felt like a film scene.
“Every time I stand beneath the bridge and watch the trains, especially the tourist train connecting Central Vietnam’s heritage sites, I feel something special because I have traveled on it,” she said.
According to an employee at Hai Van Bac Station, Don Ca arch bridge was built more than 100 years ago. It has a vaulted gateway design, rests on stone pillars, crosses a stream 20 meters above the ground and is about 100 meters long.
The stream below the bridge begins at the top of Hai Van Pass and has clear water. In recent years, the site has attracted Vietnamese and foreign visitors.
The 19.8-kilometer route runs along high mountains on one side and opens toward the sea on the other.
Luong Xuan Thuong, director of the Dong Hoi railway transport branch of Vietnam Railways, said US travel magazine Conde Nast Traveler recently published its readers’ choice list of the 20 most-loved rail journeys in the world for 2026. The train running along the Hai Van route and connecting Central Vietnam’s heritage sites ranked 10th.
According to Thuong, the tourist trains began operating in March 2024. On March 26, the trains received a new interior featuring elements of the cultural heritage of the former capital Hue and Hoi An Ancient Town.
Each train has five carriages with air-conditioned soft seats that can rotate 180 degrees toward the direction of travel, along with one premium carriage with 32 seats facing the sea.
During the roughly three-hour journey, passengers can see the Tam Giang - Cau Hai lagoon ecosystem, Lang Co Bay and the mountain route over Hai Van Pass. Tourists can also watch artistic performances and try food from Hue and Da Nang. The railway sector has arranged premium waiting rooms at Hue and Da Nang stations.
“To offer new travel experiences, the railway sector recently launched the Hue - Phong Nha train in Quang Binh, connecting World Heritage sites. A steam locomotive is expected to operate on the Hai Van route in the future,” Thuong said.
Vietnam Railways will operate two daily train pairs between Hue and Da Nang.
In 2024, the train topped a vote in the category of Hue City’s nine most impressive tourism products.
In June 2025, Lonely Planet published a list of 24 of the world’s best rail journeys to take that year.
The list placed Vietnam’s Thong Nhat train, which runs on the North-South railway, first. The journey is more than 1,700 kilometers long and crosses varied terrain, with the section over Hai Van Pass standing out for its scenery and the summit known as the “most beautiful gateway under heaven.”
Since the interior was upgraded, the tourist trains connecting Central Vietnam’s heritage sites have carried 215,000 passengers, 40% more than during the same period. The number of international visitors rose by more than 70% compared with the same period in 2025.
Sources: Dân Trí
