Hanoi’s Famous Train Street May Soon Lose Its Trains

By Danial Martinus • 06 Mar 2026 in News

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For years now, tourists in Hanoi, Vietnam could experience a once-in-a-lifetime coffee session, mere inches from passing trains. It’s something totally unique, and of course, very dangerous if you’re careless about where you stick your feet and hands.

This narrow strip of track running between tightly packed cafés is better known as Train Street, and its main attraction might soon disappear for good.

The potential end of an era

Vietnamese authorities are planning to phase out passenger train services along the central stretch of railway that cuts through Hanoi’s densely packed neighbourhoods.

If plans go on as expected, this means trains will no longer pass through the section between Hanoi Railway Station and Long Bien Station, which just so happens to be where the city’s famous railway cafés sit shoulder to shoulder with the tracks.

For the time being, however, it’s still business as usual with multiple daily passenger services linking Hanoi with other cities like Hai Phong and Lao Cai. Freight trains also pass through the same corridor, and combined with passenger trains, they draw tourists in like bees to honey.

Once the proposed changes take effect, though, Train Street might get a little quieter. Freight trains are expected to stop running on the central section altogether, while passenger trains will be rerouted away from the famous hotspot.

The railway corridor that Train Street sits on has been a tourist magnet since 2018. Rows of tiny cafés sprouted like mushrooms along the tracks, allowing travellers to sip their Vietnamese coffee while waiting for trains to pass, mere inches away.

When the train horn sounds, everyone knows to press themselves against the café walls as tightly as possible, gawking in awe as a train creeps by. It’s definitely a thrilling experience, but it’s also very dangerous.

Local authorities have repeatedly tried to shut down the cafés and restrict access to the tracks, installing barriers and enforcing safety bans. Still, the pull of the location has overpowered any and all restrictions in place.

But, of course, the upcoming railway changes might soon put that safety dilemma to rest, by removing the trains entirely.

What will happen to Train Street without the trains, you ask? City planners are exploring ways to transform the historic corridor into a cultural and tourism zone. So it won’t exactly lose much foot-fall, but it might lose a bit of its magic and thrill.

If everything goes to schedule, the railway transition could be completed by mid-2026. For now, however, Train Street still has life in it.