Once you are done with your Vietnam Visa application and wait to get your Vietnam Visa online, you will want to plan your trip, to the least significant and minute details. You can get your Vietnam Visa on arrival but you cannot plan your trip after you arrive at one of the international airports. You need to have all your plans sorted and well chalked out.
First, you should have your hotel booking services in place and must have the reservations made well in advance. Second, you should hire tour & travel services if you need so. If you need more specific information pertaining to anything then you need to speak with your Vietnam Visa counsel and be more prepared for your trip.
If you are planning on how you wish to explore Vietnam, then the best way to do so is to board a train. You can always hire a car, rent a car and drive yourself, take a scooter or trek on a motorbike. You can also indulge in some luxurious rides or some sailing if you so want. But catching a train in Vietnam will be by far the most convenient, most affordable and speediest solution to all your wonderings.
Vietnam has a vast railway network. Almost every nook and corner of the country is connected via rails. You can travel from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh City, which will have a host of stations on the way including Vinh, Dong Hoi, Dong Ha, Hue, Da Nang (for Hoi An), Quang Ngai, Dieu Tri (for Qui Nhon), Nha Trang, Thap Cham, Muong Man (for Mui Ne) and Saigon. You can take a train from Hanoi to Lao Cai, Hanoi to Dong Dang, Hanoi to Hai Phong, Hanoi to Quan Trieu, Kep to Ha Long and Kep to Luu Xa.
As you might relate, there is no prominent place that you cannot reach through a train. Then you have the choice of seats while you board a train in Vietnam. You can opt for hard seats, soft seats, hard sleeper seats, soft sleeper seats and there are luxurious seats which are equivalent to first class and business class seats in western countries.
If you are worried about the time you need to invest while traveling on train, then you should note that Hanoi to Vinh is 5-7 hours, Vinh to Dong Hoi is 3.5-5 hours, Dong Hoi to Dong Ha is 2-3 hours, Dong Ha to Hue is 1-2 hours, Hue to Da Nang is 3-4 hours, Da Nang to Nha Trang is 10-12 hours, Nha Trang to Muong Man is 4-7 hours and Muong Man to Saigon is 3.5-4.5 hours.