ET- Pumpkin Express Hanoi Sapa train

Comfortable overnight train to SAPA.
Deciding which private carriage to go with on your overnight trip to SAPA can be difficult. We booked and paid for our passage at the office in Hanoi, which was an easy process. Having traveled with ET -Pumpkin I can only comment on this one and other carriages on the same train. All seemed to be very similar in comfort. We paid for a VIP 2 berth soft sleeper, which I figured meant that the top bunks were folded back so that we had more room, and that the mattresses from those bunks were transferred to our bunks. The result was indeed comfortable. I think perhaps if you paid half the price for two bunks in a 4 berth you may well get virtually the same thing, but we wanted to be sure we had the cabin to ourselves. As it was, the carriage was by no means full, and the attendants locked any unused cabins. Bedding was clean and monogrammed. We had two warm blankets and pillows each. The cabin was cosy (all carriages are the same in lay-out) with wood paneling. There was A/C (good), power and lights but not much else. At the end of the carriage there is a small wash room (which unfortunately did not have soap in the dispenser) and separate small toilet. Lots of fun getting that task accomplished with the train bouncing around. Not permitted to use toilet when train stationary-guess why. There is no "dining carriage" but someone came through with snacks and drinks before we departed and I think she remained on the train. You can pass between the carriages as much as you want. It can be quite a social experience if you want that. Our carriage had at least one "attendant". They sleep in a very confined multi-purpose room at the end of the carriage, although we saw him curled up on an unused passenger bunk-would be much more comfortable. I slept very well on the way up. The train itself rocked around a lot but every carriage would have the same experience no matter how much you paid. Pumpkin will arrange for you to be picked up at Loa Cai in the early morning and taken to you hotel in Sapa (about an hour on a winding mountain road with a lot of trucks and crazy drivers). We even got free transport from out hotel at Hanoi to the train station. There is not much to see from the train at night, and in fact the trip is over before you know it. I would recommend ET-Pumpkin for a fun and comfortable overnight train experience to Lao Cai (SAPA).
TIP: Beware of locals offering transport to SAPA for huge amounts of money. Ensure that all pick-ups (from train and hotel) are confirmed and that someone will be waiting (with your name on a sign) at Lao Cai station for transport to SAPA. ET Pumpkin office at Lao Cai is to your right, once outside the Lao Cai station (inside a cafe) if you need help.

Better Than Expected.
Prior to my trip, i had read many negative reviews about this Train service so, it's an understatement to say i was really nervous. To my surprise, my cabin shared with 3 other strangers was pretty pleasant - the cabin was pretty clean and we saw no roaches. However, the cleanliness of the sheets is questionable as mine had a smell (travel with a sleeping bag liner) The AC was directly above our heads on the top bunk so, being frozen the entire night was very unpleasant. The public toilet was smelly but, if you're an Asian living in Asia like myself, it isn't anything too terrible, lol. The train left and arrived on good time. Hot drinks are available first thing in the morning, if you are ready to pay (20k per cup). Overall, the entire experience was much, much better than anticipated. I was lucky.