In the heart of the bustling Old Quarter, Hanoi Train Street is one of the city’s most unusual and thrilling experiences. Located along the railway line near Hanoi Railway Station, this narrow residential street is lined with small cafés set just inches from active train tracks.
For years, the attraction has drawn thousands of visitors, even as authorities repeatedly cracked down on it over safety concerns. Now, with Hanoi moving to reduce trains along the stretch, the fate of this controversial destination may once again be reshaped.
Seven years of continuous ban
Hanoi Train Street runs along the railway line through Phung Hung, Le Duan and Tran Phu streets, near the Old Quarter and Hanoi Railway Station.
Once a residential area for railway employees, the street gained international attention in 2014 after being featured in foreign media as an unusual urban spectacle, where trains passed just steps from people’s homes. According to data from Tripadvisor, in 2018, the keyword “Hanoi Train Street” began ranking among the top must-try experiences in Vietnam, fueling on social media platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.
As growing crowds of tourists flocked to the railway cafés, concerns mounted over rail safety.
In October 2019, Hanoi authorities ordered a ban on all commercial activities along Train Street. Despite heightened surveillance, warning signs and checkpoints, just three months later, tourists were climbing over barriers, and café operations along Train Street resumed as usual.
In September 2022, the ban was stricter, as not only were barriers erected, café on the Train Street also faced revocation of their business licenses. Just three months later, one café was hit with a fine after a famous footballer posted a photo of himself enjoying coffee on the railway street.
In 2023, the Hanoi Department of Tourism instructed travel companies not to organise tours to Train Street. In 2025, the authorities continue to enforce the ban and warn tour operators not to bring visitors to the Train Street to comply with train safety and avoid accidents.
However, despite the bans, barriers and warning signs, the number of visitors to Hanoi Train Street has continued to grow. Many tourists rank it among their top activities in Vietnam, drawn by the unique feeling of thrills.
On February 27 2026, the Ministry of Construction and the Hanoi People’s Committee agreed to reduce the frequency of passenger trains and suspend freight services passing through the Train Street area and Long Bien Bridge. It followed Hanoi’s earlier proposal to suspend passenger train operations along this railway section.
The move is seen as a way for Hanoi to reduce the risk of railway accidents at Train Street while preserving one of the city’s most iconic check-in spots. However, with its defining feature being trains passing just inches from the cafés, scaling back rail traffic could also take away the excitement that makes Train Street attractive to tourists.
Thrill vs. Safety: Hanoi’s ongoing dilemma
For city authorities, Train Street has long posed a dilemma: how to reconcile railway safety regulations with a tourism phenomenon that has taken on a life of its own.
In 2023, the city introduced Hoa Xa café, inside Long Bien Railway Station, branding it as “Hanoi’s only official railway café.” Unlike the informal trackside venues, the café is set at a regulated distance from the rails, and visitors are required to comply with railway safety rules while enjoying the view.
Yet one officially sanctioned café is unlikely to resolve the broader issue. So far, Hanoi has not developed a comprehensive alternative railway café zone that is both safe and capable of matching the unique appeal that draws tourists to Train Street in the first place.
The success of Train Street lies not only in its distinctive feature, but also, paradoxically, in the fact that it has been repeatedly banned. Scott Campbell, a travel writer for CNN Traveller, observed that the more Hanoi Train Street is restricted, the more magnetic it becomes.
According to Mr. Nguyen Tien Dat, Vice Chairman of the Hanoi Tourism Association, from a safety and security perspective, all activities at Train Street cafés are currently in violation. However, if a ban proves ineffective, the expert suggests shifting toward management instead — similar to how Taiwan regulates the experience along the famous railway tracks in Shifen.
In Shifen, trains continue to run on an active line as tourists gather on the tracks to release lanterns — an activity that began spontaneously and later drew safety concerns. Rather than banning it, authorities introduced fixed train schedules, designated time windows, licensed vendors, and required staff to clear the tracks before trains pass. The risk remains, but it is managed rather than eliminated.
Mr Nguyen Tien Dat proposes that Hanoi could pilot a new model by officially recognizing Train Street as a designated tourist attraction while imposing strict safety controls. Businesses could contribute fees to fund protective measures such as warning lights and loudspeaker systems to alert visitors when trains are approaching. The funds could also support trained staff responsible for guiding tourists to safe zones, with announcements delivered in both Vietnamese and English.
For many visitors, Train Street represents something quintessentially “Hanoi”: chaotic yet intimate, risky yet communal. The latest adjustment to rail operations may reduce immediate safety risk, but it also raises a question: without the roar of trains passing inches from café tables, can Train Street remain Train Street?
Whether Hanoi’s new approach signals a gradual phase-out or a strategic compromise remains to be seen. What is clear, however, is that after seven years of bans and revivals, Train Street continues to test the city’s ability to manage tourism, safety and urban identity all at once.
