Enjoying delicious cafe’ while watching the old train slowly rolls barely a meter away is a terrifying but enjoyable experience for many visitors to Hanoi. Recently, that is an indispensable tourism destination when travelers come to our capital city.
The story behind Hanoi Train Street
The railway was built by the French colonists in 1902. It cuts through the heart of Hanoi and connects our capital with the rest of the country. From North to South, it stretches 2,652 km, but it is only on two short stretches, each of a few hundred meters, where you can sit at arm’s length to the train tracks.
The special thing about Train Street is that the street functions like any other street in the old town. With small shops, coffee shops and everyday life. Here, families live side by side with trains rumbling through their front yard every day. Parents pull their playful children to the side, chickens and dogs are chased off the tracks, and laundry flutters on the balcony as the long caravan of train cars rolls by.
Train Street has been frequently visited by tourists for many years, and in 2017 one of the locals recognized a good business idea and opened a cafe’. It quickly became a success, after which several cafes sprouted along the rails. At least that’s the story we were told, and which explains why many of the buildings on Train Street today house small coffee shops with open facades.
How to find the Railway cafe’
Today, there are two short stretches of railway in the center of Hanoi where you can visit one of the many cafes right next to the train tracks. They are both called Train Street and are respectively North and South of the main railway station Ga Ha Noi.
Train Street (North) is located by the Old Quarter – between the main railway station and Long Bien Station. The line of cafes begins where the train tracks cross Tran Phu street and along Phung Hung street.
Train Street (South) is approximately 25 minutes walk from the Old Quarter. The street is south of the main railway station and runs parallel to Le Duan street. The stretch with cafes is approx. 200 meters, and you can freely walk onto the tracks from either end of the street.
The train schedule
Regardless of which of the two Train Streets you visit, it’s a good idea to check the timetable in advance if you want to experience the train running through the street. According to the rumor, it no longer runs as often as it once did.
You can either find the timetable at one of the cafes, where the locals will be happy to show you the timetables of the day. Or you can check the Vietnam Railway website.
Please arrive 15-20 minutes before the train arrives if you want to be sure of getting a good spot. With that said, you can expect to hang around a little longer, the trains in Vietnam are notoriously late.
Weekend
8.30
9.30
11.30
15.20
16.30
17.30
18.00
19.20
19.45
20.45
21.15
Monday – Friday
19.00
19.15
19.45
20.00
20.45
21.15
21.30
22.00
Note: The above timetable is from Train Street (North), April 2024.
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