When the coffee street on the railway line connecting Tran Phu to Phung Hung (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) was prohibited from operating, numerous cafes sprung up on the railway track from Tran Phu stop to Dien Bien Phu (Ba Dinh district).
Over the past few years, the train street coffee area, the section from Tran Phu to Phung Hung (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi), has become a popular destination for both domestic and international tourists. This place appears on numerous information sites and newspapers around the world due to its uniqueness and novelty.
However, from September 15, 2022, the authorities installed barriers and blocked both ends of the entrance to the railway coffee village located in Tran Phu and Phung Hung streets (Hoan Kiem district), following a written request. situation of commerce and photo shooting in the train cafes” from the Vietnam Railway Corporation.
Old train street in Hanoi
Inside the barricade of the railway cafes in the Hoan Kiem district, a few foreign tourists were strolling around. These are people brought in by the cafes inside the railway lines, through the passages of houses, right next to the Tran Phu barrier.
Outside the barrier, many tourists were lining up to look inside, with numerous people wondering how to get in.
However, when they learned that it was prohibited and the only way to “sneak” inside was to follow the “unofficial” route.
New train street in Hanoi
Numerous cafes have sprouted up in the railway street section connecting Tran Phu to the Tran Phu barrier station. (Ba Dinh district).
This street is known to many tourists as the ‘new railway coffee street’, about 300 meters long.
This railway line is located opposite the railway line that is prohibited from traffic but is under the management of two different districts.
This route also has prohibition and warning signs, but no security forces are on duty. Cafe owners openly invite and bring tourists into the store. Tourists can freely walk around and take photos on the railway track.
The connection between two railway lines belongs to two different districts.
“If there is supply, there will be demand. The railway area of Hoan Kiem district is blocked by the authorities day and night, so few people can get in. We have opened a cafe on this side of the railway to serve customers.” shared a cafe owner from the new train street.
“We constantly remind them to pay attention to safety, especially when the train is approaching the crossing time,” this person added.
According to a merchant from the new coffee street of Train Street, the Hoan Kiem district increasingly tightens restrictions on the entry and exit of tourists, while the Dong Da district facilitates things.
“Guards sometimes let visitors in at the Dien Bien Phu road barrier, but the Tran Phu road barrier is completely open. We simply welcome tourists to eat and drink,” she explained.”
As the evening approaches, the number of tourists flocking to the new train street increases.
“Every weekend, there are many customers. Many Western customers wait 3 to 4 hours just to watch the train pass by,” said Mrs. T., owner of a cafe here.
According to many merchants here, the new railway coffee street is not as beautiful as the old train street, as the latter has a curve, and each time the train passes, beautiful pictures and videos are created.
Some pictures of the new train street in Hanoi
Many foreign newspapers have praised the train street coffee street in Hanoi. Last year, CNN wrote: ‘The street has long been controversial, even though it is famous worldwide for the scene of trains running on tracks between two shops just a few hands apart from each other in the middle of the railway posing for photos.”
Even though it’s closed, foreign tourists keep coming to visit it. In November 2022, the German football team Borussia Dortmund came to Hanoi for a friendly match and savored train coffee while sitting on the tracks. Photos of players on the tracks prompted local authorities to drastically close this area again.
