You are sipping a cup of coffee. And a few inches away from your table is an entire locomotive engine. The train is going out noisily around you. The picture is exactly like this. What has become one of the most ‘insta-dangerous’ spots in the age of social media. Thousands of people flock here just to take a hilarious selfie or make a reel. Yes, I am talking about the ‘Train Street’ of Hanoi, the capital of Vietnam. The dangerous tourist-craze of this place is now going to be full of adultery.
narrow lane Rows of shops and cafes on both sides. Railway line in between. Chairs and tables are laid out on that railway line. The moment the train arrives, the floor is packed. And after leaving, the table and chairs are laid out again. The sale begins. That’s the point here. Tourists are waiting for this train. The impossibly dangerous moment is captured by the lens while passing by the table.
The Hanoi People’s Committee is going to take extreme steps on the future of this dangerous tourist center. Until now, the administration tried to close the cafes along the railway line. But the crowd of tourists could not be handled. So this time a proposal has been brought to stop train movement on that particular route. As per the proposal, southbound trains will terminate at Hanoi station. And northbound trains will stop at Gia Lam station. As a result, the wheels of the train will no longer travel through that narrow lane, which is popular with tourists. The roar of the engine will be silenced forever.
The Vietnam Railways Department has repeatedly warned that this erratic behavior of tourists could lead to major disasters at any time. But not only security, the government wants to develop this area as a huge cultural corridor. The railway infrastructure renovation work will begin by the second quarter of 2026. With the help of the French Embassy, the historic ‘Long Bien Bridge’ will be renovated and 131 ancient stone arches will be decorated as a heritage zone. Thang Long Imperial Citadel will be directly connected to the Old Quarter.
Those who have this train street in Hanoi on their bucket list have very little time on their hands. The proposal is currently awaiting the approval of the Ministry of Construction of that country. Once given the green signal, this rough, industrialized lane will be transformed into an elegant ‘cultural and tourism zone’. Cafes along the railway line may survive as heritage sites, but the breath-taking experience of a monstrous train passing by the table will no longer be available. For tourists, which is a book of relief and separation!
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