Hanoi Bans Tours At Popular "Train Street" After Many Close Calls On The Track
Tourists like to sit, lie down, and pose on the tracks, raising concerns about safety.
By Celine Low — 11 Mar 2025, 10:18 AM
Hanoi's iconic "train street", a narrow railway lined with cafés and shops, has been banned from future tours organised by travel agencies
According to the Laodong Vietnam, the Hanoi Department of Tourism has requested travel agencies to avoid tours to the train street in Cua Nam, Hang Bong and Cua Dong Wards, citing safety concerns and the need to maintain public order.
The train street, which stretches for about 2km, connects Le Duan, Tran Phu, Cua Dong, and Phung Hung streets. The spot has gained notoriety for its cafés situated mere inches from an active railway track and is a popular tourist destination for sightseeing and photography.
Tourists flock to the area, particularly the 300m section that stretches from Tran Phu to Phung Hung, known as the "new train street coffee", where people can sip coffee and snap photos as trains rumble past just a hair's breadth away.
However, this thrilling experience doesn't come without significant risks
Tourists often wander onto the tracks, posing for photos and videos. Despite previous crowd control efforts such as barricades to block tourists and police patrols, both locals and tourists not only gather along the railway corridor, but also crowd the train tracks, creating safety hazards.
In June 2024, The Straits Times reported that a café owner was fined VND7.5 million (approximately RM1,303) for allowing a female tourist to pose on the tracks as a train approached. The Hoan Kiem District People's Committee has also repeatedly issued warnings and penalties to businesses operating in the area for violating railway safety regulations.
While many travel agents expressed disappointment about the ban on train street tours, acknowledging its popularity with international tourists, they ultimately support and will comply with the government's decision, according to VN Express.
"We put the safety of tourists first," said a representative of a travel agency based in Hanoi.
A video posted on Facebook in June 2024 showed a café owner rushing to push a woman out of the track as the train approached.
Image via The Straits Times
