All Aboard! Portugal to Vietnam by Train: The World’s Longest Train Journey

The longest train ride in the world starts in Portugal and ends in Vietnam. A number of websites mention this theoretical journey. I actually completed it in 2019!

Many say the journey starts in Porto, Portugal, but looking at a rail map will reveal the line extends further south to Lisbon, Faro, and ending (or starting) at the town of Vila Real de Santo Antonio, on the Atlantic Spanish border.

The rules were quite straight forward - no zig-zagging and no unnecessary deviations. With the ground rules settled, the train trip from Vila Real de S.A. to Ho Chi Minh City was calculated to be a mere 18,296km or 11,368 miles. The journey would involve 23 trains and take 34 days. The trip could be done quicker, but considering some of the exotic cities I would be passing through, it would be senseless not to spend at least two nights (one full day) at most connection points.

Below are the videos I captured on this journey. I hope you enjoy them as much as I enjoyed experiencing them.

Scott

PART 1:
Vila Real de Santo Antonio - Faro - Lisbon

The journey of a lifetime starts at Vila Real de S.A. on the Atlantic Ocean. See the sights of this beautiful town before catching the dirty railcar to Faro. Enjoy a very quick tour of the town before catching the train to Lisbon. There are high-speed trains on this line. This isn't one of them.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 2:
Lisbon - Hendaye - Paris

Lisbon surprised me, and I would love to return and explore this beautiful city in more depth. I catch the Trenhotel overnight sleeper to Hendaye on the Spanish/French border, and then jump on a TGV to Paris.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 3:
Paris - Cologne - Berlin

I bid Paris "Au revoir" and catch Thalys from Gare du Nord to Cologne. I love travelling on Thalys, and I don't know why. From Cologne we catch an ICE service to Berlin, my favourite European city.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 4:
Berlin - Warsaw

I love Berlin, and reluctantly leave this amazing city. The journey to Warsaw was to be the most unpleasant on this entire journey. The carriage was occupied by hyper teeneage students travelling to Poznan. Apart from their teachers, I was the only adult in this carriage.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 5:
Warsaw - Minsk

This was my first visit to Warsaw (I've been back since). The direct Warsaw-Minsk train wasn't operating on the day I planned to travel, so I had to change trains at the Poland/Belarus border at Grodna. Not many tourists do this, and I encountered a few problems with immigration.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 6:
Minsk - Moscow

I had read Minsk was an amazing Soviet architecture hot-spot, and it was very true. I was relieved there was no border formalities between Belarus and Russia, considering the problems I had at Grodna.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 7:
Moscow - Trans Siberian

People rave about beautiful St Petersburg, and it is a lovely city, but I fell in love immediately with Moscow. I leave on the Trans Siberian route and cross the Urals into Asia. This *train* was actually the Trans Mongolian.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 8:
Trans Siberian - Irkutsk

Watch a TV documentary of this route, and it will probably be filmed in mid-winter. It's more dramatic at -50°c. However summer wildflowers and blue skies made this journey simply unforgetable.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 9:
Lake Baikal

How can you visit Irkutsk and not visit the world's largest fresh water lake? The air was also very fresh, with unusually windly and rough conditions, which even surprised Russian visitors. My plan was to stand barefoot in the cold water of Lake Baikal.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 10:
Irkutsk - Ulaan Baatar

I have invented a word - Frontieraphilia - the love of border crossings. The crossing from Russia to Mongolia was up there with the best. Big Soviet-style hats and uniforms, sniffer dogs, and barking security officers. Great fun!
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 11:
Ulaan Baatar - Beijing

The heat of the Gobi desert, a very slick border crossing from Mongolia to China, and a spectacular journey along the Yongding River gorge. After this the nightmare of modern day concrete China began.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 12:
Beijing - Shanghai

I was told, if I wanted to see the Great Wall of China, then *don't* go to the Badaling section as the crowds will be huge. I decided to go Badaling. I tried a vibration test on the high-speed train to Shanghai and I was super impressed.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 13:
Shanghai - Nanning

There are two types of high-speed trains in China, and this was one of the slower high-speed trains, if that makes sense. This was to be the longest train journey without a berth. I was glued to the window watching China pass by.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 14:
Nanning - Hanoi

You don't get too many Caucasian, solo travellers in the south of China, and I was always the centre of attention. The stealth photos being taken of me were a little unnerving, but gave me a reason to interact with the locals.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 15:
Hanoi - Reunification Express

The heat and humidity was hard work, but Hanoi was totally amazing. The train south into central Vietnam was a rough ride, being narrow gauge, and I had the worst sleep on this entire journey.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.

PART 16:
Reunification Express - Ho Chi Minh City

I finally made it to Ho Chi Minh City, and I was a little sad this epic journey was over. Would I do it again? Definiely, but I would do it in reverse and in winter next time.
Click >> H E R E << to see this video.