Includes the best cafés, quietest entrances & a real look at the politics behind the tracks
There are few places in the world where you can sip coffee while a train rumbles past just inches from your knees. Hanoi’s Train Street is one of them – a narrow strip of railway wedged between residential buildings that’s gone viral for obvious reasons. The internet is full of chaotic photos: tourists pressed against cracked walls, phones raised, grinning in the face of an oncoming locomotive.
I wasn’t sure I wanted to be one of them.
After a month in Hanoi, I finally went – not to the overrun Instagram corner, but to a quieter stretch tucked away off Le Duan Street. We found 65 Railway Cafe, run by a local family, where only ten people were sitting opposite us. No selfie sticks. No crowd control whistles. Just slow coffee, worn-out furniture, and the steady thrum of life beside the tracks.
In this post, I’ll show you how to visit Train Street Hanoi responsibly. I’ll break down the politics behind the photos, where to go (and where not to), and which cafés still offer a glimpse of daily life – without the chaos. Whether you’re wary of the hype or eager to see it for yourself, here’s everything you need to know.
What Is Train Street, Really? The Origins of Hanoi’s Most Instagrammed Railway
Like many things in Vietnam, Train Street is both a colonial leftover and a local workaround. The railway itself was laid down in 1902, during French rule, as part of a broader effort to link Hanoi with the northern port of Haiphong and the southern cities of Huế and Saigon. These weren’t built to serve the Vietnamese people. They were built to extract – raw materials in, colonial control out.
The houses came later.
Forced to adapt to the spaces left over by colonial development, working-class Hanoians built their lives in the literal margins – narrow alleys, forgotten plots, the slender buffer zones beside the tracks. The train didn’t arrive in their neighborhood, their neighborhood grew around the train. What looks to outsiders like a “quirky” urban oddity is, to the people who live there, just home. A place built out of necessity.
Before Train Street became a hashtag, it was just survival. Families timed their routines to the train schedule: meals, laundry, even kids’ playtime adjusted around the daily rumble of metal. No safety rails. No tourism board campaign. Just decades of community ingenuity, built between, around, and in spite of the tracks.
Is Train Street Hanoi Safe? And Is It Even Legal to Visit?
Short answer: kind of. It depends on how you go, where you go, and whether you’re willing to be respectful about it.
In 2019, Hanoi authorities cracked down on Train Street after too many tourists stood directly on the tracks for the perfect selfie—and some refused to move even as trains approached. Several trains were forced to emergency stop. A few missed serious injuries by seconds. Local cafés had their licenses revoked, and barricades went up at major entrances to discourage visitors.
But the reality is more complicated.
Many café owners along the tracks are local residents. The same families that built their homes around the railway now rely on tourist foot traffic to keep their businesses alive. And so, over the past couple years, the cafés have adapted: warning signs, chalkboard train schedules, staff who usher guests to safety before each train passes. In early 2023, many of these cafés quietly reopened—some with the tacit permission of local police, others just working around the rules.
Legally, you can’t wander the tracks freely. But if you’re sitting inside a licensed café that happens to be on the tracks, no one is going to stop you. The city still keeps up appearances by blocking off the most popular entry points but enforcement is uneven. Enter through the quieter alleys, and no one bats an eye.
As for safety: The train does not slow down. It passes just inches from where you’ll be sitting. There are no barricades so if you’re going to visit, follow the café’s instructions. Move when they say move. Sit where they tell you to sit. This isn’t a movie set. It’s still an active railway.
The Political & Ethical Mess Behind the Viral Photos
It’s easy to reduce Train Street to a photo-op. A train inches past a row of cafés, tourists grin from the sidelines, everyone gets their content. But what doesn’t show up in the frame is the tug-of-war happening just behind the scenes—between residents trying to survive, authorities trying to manage risk, and tourists who often don’t know how to behave.
Train Street’s fame came quickly. Once the viral reels started rolling in, crowds followed. What was once a residential stretch of rail became a flashpoint for over-tourism. Tour groups showed up en masse. Influencers blocked the tracks for photos. Businesses sprang up overnight to serve the influx. And with that came rules, crackdowns, closures.
But here’s the thing: a lot of the people running these cafés aren’t opportunists chasing Instagram gold. They’re residents who’ve lived there for decades—some since before the war. The railway disrupted their lives long before it became an aesthetic backdrop. Now, that same track is one of the few income sources they have left in a gentrifying city.
The government’s response has been mixed: banning access at times, relaxing restrictions at others, often without warning. What gets missed in the noise is that tourism – when done thoughtfully – has helped keep these homes and businesses afloat.
Visiting Train Street isn’t the problem. Ignoring the people who live there is. If you’re going to go, be present. Pay attention. Remember whose space you’re standing in.
The Best Entrances to Train Street Hanoi (And How to Get There)
Now that we’ve talked through the politics, safety, and the why of visiting Train Street, let’s get into the how. There are two main sections worth knowing and they offer very different experiences.
Phùng Hưng Side (Old Quarter)
This is the viral version: packed cafés, last-minute scrambles off the tracks, and tourists lining up for that ten-second clip of danger. The stretch runs between Phùng Hưng Street and Trần Phú Street, and includes cafés like Ga Dong Duong and 28 Train Street — both famous, both usually swarmed.
Due to repeated safety incidents, this section is now heavily monitored. Security often blocks the entrances unless you’re on a café’s guest list. Most places will ask you to message them in advance via WhatsApp, and a staff member will walk you in. It’s not illegal, but it’s loud, tightly controlled, and deeply commercial.
To get there, take a Grab car or bike and enter from either Phùng Hưng or Trần Phú – both visible on Google Maps. You can also walk from nearby landmarks like Hàng Da Market.
Lê Duẩn Side (My Recommendation)
If you want something quieter, head south toward Khâm Thiên Street or use the Ngõ 224 Lê Duẩn entrance. This section, just past Hanoi Station, is slower, less curated, and has no barricades or police presence.
We ended up at 65 Railway Café, about halfway down the tracks. There were ten people there, tops – all sipping iced coffee while the train schedule was scribbled in chalk behind the counter. The owner offered to take our photo, waved, and went back to chatting with his wife. No spectacle, no sales pitch.
Don’t Sneak In Through Side Alleys
You’ll find “secret pathway” videos online, but honestly, don’t do that. This is someone’s home. If you’re going to stand in their backyard snapping photos, the least you can do is buy a drink.
The rule is simple: you’re only allowed on Train Street if you sit at a local café. This helps manage foot traffic and keeps things safe for everyone. Skirting the system just adds to the problem. Pick a café, grab a drink, support a local family – everyone wins.
Here is the Google maps location for both entrances:
North Entrance 1 (Phung Hung Street)
North Entrance 2 (Tran Phu Street)
South Entrance 1 (Kham Thien)
South Entrance 2 (Le Duan street)
Where to Sit: 3 Low-Key Train Street Cafés That Are Still Worth It
If you’re looking for a place that doesn’t feel like a tourist trap, here’s what I can personally recommend and and what others seem to trust.
65 Railway Café (Personally Visited)
- Good for: A quiet, unfiltered experience
- What to expect: This was the café we chose — halfway down the Lê Duẩn side. There were maybe ten people when we went. It’s family-run, no frills, and totally unbothered by the usual photo frenzy. The owner offered to take our photo, then sat down to eat dinner with her family. When the train came, a few stools were moved and that was it. It felt more like someone’s home than a business.
Coffee 40 (Based on traveler reviews)
- Reported vibe: Low-pressure, chalkboard train times, cat-friendly
- What to expect: I didn’t go here myself, but it’s often mentioned by travelers looking for something calmer than the main cafés on the Phùng Hưng side. It seems to strike a balance between being welcoming to tourists and keeping things relaxed. If you’re on the Old Quarter side and want a quieter option, this might be it.
Tuan Railway Café (Based on traveler reviews)
- What to expect: One of the more established cafés near Phùng Hưng. I haven’t been here, but it comes up often in travel blogs as a go-to for those wanting a “classic” Train Street shot without the worst of the crowds. It likely won’t be empty, but timing matters – early mornings or late afternoons seem quieter.
- Reported vibe: Slightly more popular, especially during train hours
When to Visit Train Street (Train Schedules & Tips)
⏰ Train Schedules: What to Expect
- No fixed timetable — the train isn’t delayed on demand, and its daily runs can shift.
- Based on multiple traveler reports and café postings, here’s a rough guide:
| Time of Day | Common Train Windows |
| Morning | Around 6:00–7:00 AM |
| Midday | Approximately 11:30 AM–12:00 PM |
| Afternoon | Around 3:30–4:30 PM |
| Evening | Between 6:00–7:00 PM, sometimes later |
We visited just before 8 PM and ended up seeing two trains within the hour — one not long after we arrived, and another around 30 minutes later. Evening visits seem to offer a stronger atmosphere and more train traffic, especially on weekends.
- Weekend schedules may look fuller, including earlier daytime windows.
- Cafés often post train times on chalkboards, and staff usually have the most accurate info for the day.
Beyond Train Street: Where Else to See the Train
If you’re interested in seeing how trains move through Hanoi without the cafés or crowds, head to Long Biên Bridge. Built during the French colonial era, it’s still in active use today. A working train line runs along the center, while pedestrians and motorbikes use the side paths.
You can walk across the bridge, watch the train pass over the Red River, and see how locals interact with the space – crossing on foot, selling snacks, or stopping to rest. It’s not a tourist attraction in the same way Train Street has become, but it gives you another perspective on how the railway runs through daily life in Hanoi.
A Small Souvenir
There’s one thing you won’t see in most guides, but you’ll spot it if you hang around long enough. After you buy a beer, the café owner might take the bottle cap and place it on the tracks. When the train passes, it flattens the metal — a simple gesture that turns into a tiny keepsake. Sometimes they offer it to you, or you can do it yourself. It’s not much, but it’s yours. A quiet reminder of where you were.If you’re spending more time in the city, here’s a 3-Day Hanoi Itinerary with places worth seeing – beyond the tracks.
And if you’re planning a longer trip through the country, the Vietnam travel itinerary breaks it down without rushing it.
