Starting on December 1, customers will be able purchase train tickets online, the first phase of a digitalization plan by the Vietnam Railway Corporation (VNR).
The VND170 billion system, a collaboration between VNR and telecom giant FPT will allow ticket buyers to use their credit cards to avoid the long lines that typically plague Vietnamese train stations, particularly around holidays.
Online ticket purchases will be available via www.dsvn.vn, www.vetau.com.vn or www.vietnamrailway.vn which will provide detailed instructions for passengers, and allow them to select preferred railroad cars and seats. The system can handle two million requests at any given time and children, students and seniors will be eligible for discounts of 50%, 10% and 20%, respectively.
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Tickets purchased online (maximum 4 per person) will be delivered by hand to those who live within 7km from their respective train station.
As for security, the website will require passengers to provide full personal details including their Identity Card numbers to prevent fraud, according to Doan Duy Hoach, deputy director general of VNR.
Hopefully the website will include multiple languages so that tourists can make better use of the country’s trains and provide a much needed boost in revenue for the Vietnam Railway Corporation.
