Hanoi trackside café street still a magnet for foreigners notwithstanding danger warning
Monday, April 29, 2024, 11:50 GMT+7
Despite warnings about the danger of visiting, taking photos, and drinking beverages on a famed ‘train street’ where coffee shops are just inches from the active railway in Hanoi, foreigners have still gravitated to the site to experience the feeling of waiting for trains to pass by.
Sitting in a coffee shop on the street, Michelle and his wife Isabelle from France said they had traveled to the capital city from Ho Chi Minh City several days earlier.
They came to the trackside café street after seeing it on a tourism website.
After waiting for about an hour, they heard loud screams informing them of the arrival of a train.
Isabelle immediately picked up her mobile phone to take photos of the moment.
The 10-meter red rolling stock passed through the street where hundreds of people were taking photos of it.
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| Tourists pose for photos on a track section at 224 Le Duan Street in Hanoi. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
On weekends, especially in the evening, groups of travelers take a stroll or visit coffee shops along the street.
Tourists from various countries rush to these coffee shops to enjoy coffee, tea, beer, or other beverages while waiting for trains to pass by.
If they fail to see a train there, they will take photos or record videos with trackside cafés.
Some young people have the hobby of keeping balance on the tracks. Some place beer bottle caps on the railway tracks, patiently waiting for trains to flatten them, after which they collect them as souvenirs.
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| Two tourists take photos with a train painting on a wall. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
T.M.D., the owner of a local coffee shop, said she paid much attention to ensuring the safety of her customers.
She expected local authorities to allow coffee shops like hers to operate under close management so that the ‘train street’ would be an interesting destination for visitors to Hanoi.
The trackside café street passes through several districts in Hanoi, such as Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, Dong Da, and Hai Ba Trung.
After local authorities ordered the closure of coffee shops along some railway sections, others have mushroomed on other spans.
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| Two foreign women keep balance on the track. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| Enjoying coffee at trackside cafés is an unforgettable experience for foreign visitors to Hanoi. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| A man holds a megaphone to inform that a train is approaching. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| Travelers are excited as a train passes by. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| Foreign visitors hold beer bottle caps which are flattened by trains. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| Tourists seek to enter the trackside café street in Hanoi. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| People throng the trackside café street despite signs banning gatherings there. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| Local YouTubers also flock to the area. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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| A tour guide introduces the trackside café street in Hanoi to a group of international tourists. Photo: T.T.D. / Tuoi Tre |
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