# Hanoi Train Street > Hanoi Train Street is a set of residential lanes where trains pass within a metre of front doors and café stools, a 15–20 minute walk from Hoan Kiem Lake. There’s no ticket — you buy a drink at a café. Access comes and goes: police put up barriers and clear the tracks, and cafés reopen days later. Allow an hour. Web page: https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi-train-street - City: [Hanoi](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi), Vietnam - YesGo score: 52/100 (Yes, go) - Time on site: 45 min - Opening hours: Residential street, no opening hours; cafés roughly from morning to late evening (unofficial); access can be blocked on any day - With kids: Better without small kids - Entry: Free, no ticket; you get onto the tracks through a café, by buying a drink - Drink at a café: Unofficial: about 30,000–70,000 VND - Access right now: Patchy: barriers at some entrances, regular police sweeps, cafés reopen afterwards - Tours: Hanoi’s Department of Tourism has told tour operators not to bring groups to the trackside cafés - Train times: No official timetable for the street; ask at the café - Stretches: Phùng Hưng – Trần Phú by the Old Quarter; the alley off Lê Duẩn and Khâm Thiên south of Hanoi Station - Payment: Cash in dong; small cafés rarely take cards - Children: Not one for toddlers: the lane is narrow and trains pass very close - Coordinates: 21.02948, 105.84315 - Facts checked: 05.11.2026 ## Key facts - **No ticket** — it’s a residential street; you only pay for your drink (source: vietnamtourism.com; English Wikipedia) - **Tour ban** — Hanoi’s Department of Tourism has formally told tour operators not to bring visitors to the trackside cafés (source: Thanh Niên (Department of Tourism letter)) - **Fewer trains** — the Ministry of Construction and Hanoi agreed to cut passenger trains and stop freight between Hanoi Station and Gia Lam (source: Tuổi Trẻ; Vietcetera) - **1902** — Long Bien Bridge opened — the line through Phùng Hưng leads to it; the French built the railway (source: English Wikipedia; vietnamtourism.com) - **2 stretches** — Phùng Hưng – Trần Phú by the Old Quarter, and the Lê Duẩn – Khâm Thiên alley south of the station (source: VnExpress; Đại Đoàn Kết; vietnamtourism.com) - **2018** — the first tourist cafés opened by the tracks after photos spread on social media (source: VnExpress International) - **2019** — authorities first ordered the trackside cafés closed and put up barriers (source: VnExpress International; English Wikipedia; Tuoi Tre News) - **2022** — the entrances to the Trần Phú – Phùng Hưng stretch were fenced off and guarded (source: Thanh Niên) - **8.6 m** — the required safety strip each side of the track; houses here stand 3–4 m from the rail (source: Đại Đoàn Kết, citing the traffic police) - **Fines** — café owners are fined for seating guests right next to the rails (source: VnExpress (two reports)) > **Access can be shut on any day** Hanoi has spent years alternately closing the tracks and easing off. If you see a barrier, tape or police, don’t climb over or argue — walk away and come back another time or try the other stretch. Only go onto the tracks through a café, and sit where the owner tells you. ## Is Hanoi Train Street open? Short answer: **half open**. The trackside cafés are trading and visitors do sit in them, but access isn’t guaranteed. Vietnamese media describe it as “half closed, half open”: some entrances have permanent barriers (the Trần Phú end, for one), police run sweeps and ask tourists to leave, and within days the tables are back by the rails. **Officially**, cafés on the tracks aren’t allowed. Authorities have ordered them closed several times since 2019, and Hanoi’s Department of Tourism has formally told tour operators not to bring groups there. Café owners get fined if guests sit right by the rails, so most of them police it themselves: they seat you behind a painted line and make everyone stand against the wall when a train comes. The other change is **fewer trains**. The Ministry of Construction and the city agreed to cut passenger and tourist services and stop freight between Hanoi Station and Gia Lam over Long Bien Bridge — the line through Phùng Hưng. Hanoi had pushed to stop passenger trains there altogether. South of the station, by Lê Duẩn and Khâm Thiên, the main North–South line runs as before. ## Train times: when does the train pass? **There is no official timetable for the street.** Trains follow Vietnam Railways’ schedule, which changes, and guides quote different times and different numbers of trains a day. On the Phùng Hưng stretch services are also being cut back. That’s why we don’t print times here — any list goes stale fast. The reliable way: ask at a café. Owners know the next train, often chalk it on a board and warn guests in good time. Arrive 30–45 minutes early to get a seat behind the line and finish your coffee. Trains run late, so don’t squeeze your next stop in tight. Many people come towards evening: the lantern-lit lane looks its best after dark, though it’s busier too. ## Where is Train Street in Hanoi? It isn’t one street but a few residential lanes along the railway just west of the Old Quarter. Houses stand 3–4 metres from the rail, while the official safety strip is 8.6 metres each side. When a train comes through, it fills almost the whole width of the lane. **The main stretch** runs between **Phùng Hưng** and **Trần Phú** streets, about a kilometre west of Hoan Kiem Lake, on the line from Hanoi Station north to Long Bien Bridge. **The second stretch** is the alley off **Lê Duẩn** (map apps often list it as “Ngõ 224 Lê Duẩn”) and **Khâm Thiên** street, south of Hanoi Station, on the North–South main line. Search “Train Street” or “Phố Đường Tàu” in your map app. The railway itself is old — the French opened the line to Long Bien Bridge in 1902. The cafés are recent: they appeared around 2018, after photos of trains squeezing down the lane went viral. ## Is it safe? Rules on the tracks - **Stay behind the line.** Each café has a painted line or a barrier; your chair and bag stay behind it. Move when staff ask you to. - **Follow café staff.** When they call the train, stand up and press against the wall or step inside. Keep feet and stools clear of the rails. - **Don’t stand on the tracks** for a photo, even if you can’t hear a train yet, and never reach out towards a passing train. - **Hold your phone and bag** or keep them on the table, not at the edge. - **Children by the hand** and well back; with toddlers, watch from the second row or skip it. - **Barriers and police mean leave.** Climbing over is both risky and against railway corridor rules. - **Respect the residents** — it’s their home. Don’t walk into doorways, and ask before photographing people. ## How much does it cost? There’s no entry fee — it’s a residential street. But you’ll only be let onto the tracks as a café customer, so plan to buy something. Unofficially, a drink costs about **30,000–70,000 VND**, and at busy times some cafés add a small seat charge. Agree the price before you sit down. Bring **cash in dong** in small notes: the little trackside cafés rarely take cards. Grab, the main ride-hailing app, works with cash or a foreign card linked in the app. Don’t pay anyone who offers to get you past a barrier for a fee. There’s no official paid entry, and on sweep days you’ll be asked to leave anyway. ## How to get to Hanoi Train Street 1. **Walk from Hoan Kiem Lake** — about a kilometre west, 15–20 minutes: along Hàng Gai and Hàng Bông to Phùng Hưng, then follow the railway embankment to the Trần Phú junction. Put “Phùng Hưng” or “Train Street” into your map app. 2. **Grab or taxi** — a few minutes from the Old Quarter. Ask to be dropped where Phùng Hưng meets Trần Phú. 3. **For the Lê Duẩn – Khâm Thiên stretch** — about 10 minutes by Grab from the lake, or 25–30 minutes on foot. Head for Hanoi Station (Ga Hà Nội) on Lê Duẩn; the trackside alley starts south of the station. 4. **The metro** doesn’t serve this area from the lake — walk or take a Grab. 5. If an entrance is blocked, don’t look for gaps in the fence: try the other stretch or a café whose owner walks guests in. ## Which stretch to choose | | Phùng Hưng – Trần Phú | Lê Duẩn – Khâm Thiên | | --- | --- | --- | | Where | By the Old Quarter, about 1 km from Hoan Kiem Lake | South of Hanoi Station | | Line | Hanoi Station to Long Bien Bridge | North–South main line | | Trains | Being cut back by the Ministry and the city | Running as before | | Access | Barriers at some entrances, frequent sweeps | Sweeps too; cafés return quickly | | From the lake | 15–20 minutes on foot | ≈ 10 minutes by Grab | The classic lantern shot is on Phùng Hưng – Trần Phú. If that’s closed or no train is due when you’re there, check the Lê Duẩn stretch, which sits on the main line. ## Is Hanoi Train Street worth it? Yes, if you want Hanoi unpolished: potted plants on doorsteps, laundry over the rails, owners on plastic stools and a diesel engine creeping past a metre away. It’s one of the city’s best-known sights, and an hour with a coffee shows you why. Skip it if you’re travelling with small children, hate crowds in tight spaces, or are coming only for one specific shot — the train may not come when you need it and the lane may be closed. Have a plan B: [St Joseph’s Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi-cathedral) and [Hoan Kiem Lake](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hoan-kiem-lake) are close by. ## Before you go Tick off what’s ready — your ticks are saved in this browser. - [ ] Small dong notes for a drink - [ ] Ask the café for the next train, arrive 30–45 minutes early - [ ] Sit behind the line and follow staff - [ ] Phone and bag in hand, not at the edge - [ ] A plan B if the entrance is closed - [ ] Comfortable shoes — gravel and steps by the tracks ## Hanoi after dark Hanoi places for the evening scored by YesGo. - [Hanoi Train Street](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi-train-street) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; drink at a café is paid - [Hoan Kiem Lake](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hoan-kiem-lake) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; Ngoc Son Temple 50,000 VND - [Imperial Citadel of Thang Long](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/thang-long-citadel) — YesGo score 39/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · 100,000 VND - [Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi-water-puppet-theatre) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 100,000–200,000 VND ## Old Hanoi in an afternoon: temple, train, cathedral and lake The Temple of Literature, then coffee on Train Street, St Joseph’s Cathedral, an evening by Hoan Kiem Lake and the water puppets. Add it to your route and YesGo sets the times and walks. 1. [Temple of Literature](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/temple-of-literature) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 70,000 VND, under-16s free 2. [Hanoi Train Street](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi-train-street) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free; drink at a café is paid 3. [St Joseph's Cathedral](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi-cathedral) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 20 min · Free 4. [Hoan Kiem Lake](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hoan-kiem-lake) — YesGo score 46/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free; Ngoc Son Temple 50,000 VND 5. [Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre](https://yesgo.io/vietnam/hanoi/hanoi-water-puppet-theatre) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · 100,000–200,000 VND > **Get the shot without the risk** Shoot down the tracks from inside the café or from a doorstep once staff have moved everyone to the wall. A phone’s wide lens gets the classic “train in a narrow lane” frame while you stay behind the line. ## Tips - If Phùng Hưng is fenced off with police around, don’t waste the evening — try the Lê Duẩn – Khâm Thiên stretch or just wander the Old Quarter. - Pick a café where the owner tells you when the train is due and shows you where to sit. - Don’t pay middlemen to get you in: there’s no official paid entry. - Weekdays are easier than weekends and holidays — fewer people and calmer entrances. - The lane is prettiest under the lanterns at night but busiest too, so come early. - Afterwards, walk to St Joseph’s Cathedral and Hoan Kiem Lake. ## Questions ### Is Hanoi Train Street open now? Partly. Cafés by the tracks are trading, but some entrances are fenced and police regularly clear the area; cafés reopen a few days later. If an entrance is blocked, leave rather than climb over. ### What time does the train pass on Train Street? There’s no official timetable for the street and guides disagree. Services on the Phùng Hưng stretch are also being cut. Ask a café for the next train and arrive 30–45 minutes early. ### Where is Train Street in Hanoi? Just west of the Old Quarter: the main stretch runs between Phùng Hưng and Trần Phú, about 1 km from Hoan Kiem Lake. A second stretch lies off Lê Duẩn and Khâm Thiên, south of Hanoi Station. ### How do I get to Hanoi Train Street? Walk 15–20 minutes west from Hoan Kiem Lake via Hàng Gai and Hàng Bông to Phùng Hưng, or take a Grab to the Phùng Hưng – Trần Phú junction. ### Is Hanoi Train Street safe? Trains pass very close, which is why access is restricted. Sit behind the line, never stand on the tracks, hold your belongings and do what café staff tell you. ### Can you still sit in the cafés? Usually, yes — you get onto the tracks by buying a drink. On days when police clear the area, you won’t be able to. ### How much does it cost? Entry is free. A drink costs roughly 30,000–70,000 VND (unofficial). Bring cash in dong. ### Can I visit on a tour? Hanoi’s Department of Tourism has told tour operators not to bring groups to the trackside cafés. It’s easy to go on your own — it’s a short walk from the lake. ### Is it OK with kids? Not with toddlers — the lane is narrow and trains pass very close. Older children should stay by your side and well back from the edge. ### How long do I need? About an hour: arrive early, have a coffee and wait for the train. Late trains can stretch that. ## How we checked The access situation is checked against major Vietnamese media (VnExpress, Tuổi Trẻ, Thanh Niên, Đại Đoàn Kết): cafés are trading but access is patchy. The tour-operator ban is an official Department of Tourism letter, as reported by Thanh Niên. We don’t print train times: there’s no official timetable for the street, guides and English Wikipedia disagree on how many trains run and when, and services on the Phùng Hưng stretch are being cut. The drink price comes from a guide and is marked unofficial. ## Sources - VnExpress: reports on the trackside cafés — police sweeps, cafés returning, fines for owners, fewer trains through central Hanoi - VnExpress International: how the street changed from a residential lane into a tourist sight - Tuổi Trẻ and Tuoi Tre News: agreement to cut trains between Hanoi Station and Gia Lam, proposal to stop trains on the street, cafés back after sweeps - Thanh Niên: Hanoi Department of Tourism letter to tour operators, barriers on the Trần Phú – Phùng Hưng stretch - Đại Đoàn Kết: the current “half closed, half open” situation, 8.6 m safety strip per the traffic police - Vietcetera: Ministry of Construction and Hanoi agreement on train services - English Wikipedia: “Hanoi Train Street”; Wikidata Q85788921 - vietnamtourism.com: stretches, entry via cafés, drink prices, walking route from the lake --- This is the Markdown version of a YesGo page for AI assistants. 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