Hanoi Train Street

November 23^rd, 2024

The Hanoi Train Street is a narrow alley in the Old Quarter of Hanoi where trains squeeze their way past houses, cafes and shops.  The track was built by the French in 1902 and is still an active route today.  It became a popular tourist attraction where people sit at a café, enjoying a drink while a train passes within feet of them.  In 2019 it was shut down due to safety concerns with one incident where a train stopped within meters of a woman on the track who was taking pictures.  Luckily it reopened in 2023, partly thanks to pressure from the local businesses who would like to cash in on the tourist trade.

 

On recommendation from our Canadian friends whom we met in Chiang Mai at the Lantern Festival, Gary and Karen, we found the Hanoi 1990s Café where they were a few days earlier.  The owner or manager of the café welcomed us and sat down at a little table on the opposite side of the tracks from the establishment, waiting in anticipation for the 3:30 pm train.  The cafés post the times of the trains and there are a handful in the evening, but just this one in the afternoon, so all of the coffee shops were filled with eager tourists. 

Arriving on Train Street.

We found our seats at Hanoi 1990s cafe.

Naomi being served an egg coffee, while I decided to try an "egg beer"...first and last one I'll have...

Pouring my egg beer:

Cheers!

Okay, back to your regularly scheduled beer...

Before the big event, numerous tourists, including us, took their photos while standing on the tracks, or even placing a table and chairs to sit down and have a toast between the tracks.

Posing for a pre-train photoshoot.

Naomi's turn to model solo.

This was the owner, or at least manager of the cafe.  She was full of energy, took photos of many tourists and got everyone pumped up.

Most patrons were on the cafe side of the street, opposite from us.  Their tables are being collapsed so they don't get hit by the train!

Looking the other way down the track.

Then it happened in the blink of an eye…the train came rolling down the track, faster than we anticipated, whished by us and was gone.  Wow!  It was pretty intense and super cool to see.

Here it comes!!!

Choo-a-Woo!

Yup, it was pretty close...hard to tell here that it's moving by at about 30 km/h.

What do you think Naomi?

The waiter placed three of my beer caps on the tracks before the train arrived.  They were squashed flat like a pancake...I could only find two of them.

Almost as quickly, people paid their bills and were headed off.  The next train wasn’t until after 7 pm, when there were actually four trains within an hour.  We couldn’t wait for that as we were meeting up with Gary and Karen to see the famous Hanoi Water Puppet Show and then go out for dinner.  This long, but amazing day wasn’t over yet.

Train street is a must do if you visit Hanoi!