Visit Train Street in Hanoi

Train passing near houses

About 8 years ago, a photographer named Ashit Desai was very surprised when he discovered a very different side of life in Vietnam’s capital, Hanoi. He followed the railway line and entered a very narrow hamlet through which trains pass every day. Many houses have been built along the hamlet and the distance between the houses and the railway is approximately four steps, which means that when the train passes, an outstretched arm can touch the train.

When Ashit Desai published the photos he took of this train street, newspapers around the world were very impressed and people became curious about how and why Vietnamese people live in such a dangerous place.

This train street is close to Hanoi station. More than a hundred years ago, when the French colonized Indochina (Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia), Hanoi was chosen as the capital of French Indochina in 1902. The French built this railway system to transfer passengers and goods to the north with the end point of Lao Cai province.

Time flies, Hanoi has become a developed capital of Vietnam, in which there are many modern buildings and new, more efficient infrastructure. However, the houses and shops on this street have barely changed in a century. People still live in the old houses three steps from the railway line.

You may feel lost in Hanoi at the beginning of the 20th century ^e century, where residents live in small old houses and prepare their meals outside, right next to the lines.

According to Hanoi authorities, this train street belongs to a relocation and resettlement project, which will help the citizens of this street to live in a safer place. The area along the railway will eventually be rebuilt for safety in the near future. Therefore, people do not build new houses, but repair the old ones. From the outside, everything seems frozen a hundred years ago.

Visit Train Street in Hanoi

My experience

It was 3 pm when I arrived at this street with the help of Google Maps. While waiting for my local friend who has been living in Hanoi for two years, I began to discover Train Street on my own. From No. 10 Dien Bien Phu Street, I entered a small alley where the railway passes in front of separate blocks of houses. There were already many tourists

Along the wall of the house, people were sitting, drinking coffee and chatting. On the railway, many people were trying different postures to get the best photo.

The street was very crowded and active, which contrasted with the old houses. People had many nationalities, American, European, Korean, Southeast Asian, Vietnamese. Since I had already done some research, I knew that this area used to be quiet because people could not take advantage of their host houses to sell goods. But now, many shops are established: cafes , gift shops , ao dai stores, and even a nail salon.

I saw a young girl from a café wandering around greeting tourists and inviting them to drink coffee and wait for the train. When she saw me, she said hello to me in Vietnamese and told me that the train would arrive in just 15 minutes. I thanked her and went to the end of the street. Because the railroad runs through town, you may find a few train streets like this separated by two main streets. It seemed like it was the busiest and most famous train street in the world, because I recognized the tourists from the other streets.

Walking down the street, I encountered many pots, pans, kettles and terracotta stoves in front of houses. Later, I even saw a stove installed on the railway, but during my visit, it was moved to make way for the train. On the wall and windows, someone painted pretty pictures.

After that I went back to a cafe called Tram Station and ordered a cup of egg coffee (a Hanoi specialty). At first my position didn’t seem dangerous at all because of the distance, about 1.7 meters from the train tracks.

Why were people so serious on this train street? But I was definitely wrong! At exactly 3:20 p.m., I was asked to get up and stand near the wall, behind a red line on the floor. People took out their cameras and cell phones, ready to film the next train.

Three minutes later I heard the train horn and it happened. The train arrived quickly with a low rumble. When I counted the distance, I forgot that the real train is wider than the railway. As the train passed me, a blast of air cooled my face and I recognized that the distance was 20 to 30 centimeters.

Where to find Hanoi train street?

The train street starts at Hanoi station, but you have to go to the street Nguyen Khuyen to see her. You can stop at number 10 Nguyen Khuyen Street and follow the railway to the northeast. If you want to approach the crowded train street, do as I did. Start your journey from the street number 10 of Dien Bien Phu. Then follow the railway line until you just see houses on one side, this is when you will reach the Phung Hung street. From there I suggest you go down to the main street and continue until you see some beautiful paintings hanging on the wall. This is a popular spot for photos.

From Dien Bien Phu Street, you can see the cafes on both sides of the railway track and I highly recommend ordering a cup of egg coffee or a can of beer to have fun while waiting for the train. On the cafe’s blackboard, they write not only the store’s menu, but also the train times.

When to visit this train street – Train timetable!

Now I will list the time you can observe the train according to the cafe board. You should arrive 30 minutes early to take photos with the railway and the houses before the train arrives.

Monday to Friday: 6 a.m., 7 p.m. and 7:20 p.m.

Saturday and Sunday: 9:15 a.m., 11:35 a.m., 3:20 p.m., 5:45 p.m., 6:40 p.m., 7:10 p.m. and maybe even 4:20 p.m., when I saw that day the second time (maybe it’s the new train and they don’t have updated time again).

Note: Please listen to the people giving directions when the train is coming. Stand close to the wall, behind the red line on the ground, and don’t hold your phone or camera too far from your body for your safety. You can stand on the ground or go to the second floor of Tram Coffee. They built an upper floor for visitors to watch the train from above.

There are so many unique things to do and see in Hanoi. This is just one of the many ways to spend the morning or afternoon experiencing local life. Maybe you should try to see this place soon before it changes!