A few minutes before dawn on the night train to Nha Trang I awake to the sound of a nonstop diesel speeding past in the opposite direction. It hurtles past just inches away from the open windows of our own side-tracked train, sending us rocking nearly out of our bunks.
Welcome aboard Vietnam's Nha Trang Express. It may not be the last word in elegance but it does get you there, minus a few hours of sleep, and is a better bet than the alternatives.
The only other land-based travel option is not anyone's idea of a relaxing journey. It requires riding a retired Kyoto city bus 12 hours over Vietnam's rough country roads. These aging vehicles, still displaying their Japanese signboards, were donated years ago as part of an aid program.