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VietnamDescription and is it worth a visit
Hanoi Street Train is a small section of railway in the center of Hanoi with a length of a couple of hundred meters near tourist area, where the train passes tightly sandwiched between the walls from old buildings – residential buildings of the once poorest residents of the capital, the exits from which lead almost to the rails. Ten years ago, most tourists saw this street only from the windows of a train en route to Sapa or Halong, wondering how it is possible to live in conditions when trains pass almost at the very windows and doors of houses, and without any security fences. We were lucky enough to find this place so relaxed and non-touristic at one time, when the locals here were friendly and friendly, welcomed guests and invited even just to sit and chat with them over a cup of tea. And on the rails, in the absence of a train, local children played and pets walked.
But now everything has changed, and, in our opinion, not for the better... Today, to see the moment of the train's passage, crowds of tourists flock here at a certain time to take beautiful photos and take videos. Local residents saw the potential in this, and from an ordinary street it turned into an infinitely commercial tourist attraction. Now the street has been decorated with beautiful lanterns and flags, and cafes with prices that are 2-3 times higher than other Hanoi establishments work along the rails. Aggressive traders in collusion with traffic controllers do not allow anyone to be in this zone during the passage, allegedly because of the danger up to the use of force… But with one exception: if you buy something in one of the cafes, then no one will touch you and you will be able to calmly watch the passing train.
To be honest, we liked the old street much more, and today, in our opinion, this place has simply turned into a typical "tourist trap". But what can you do, because everything is changing, and now it is one of the main tourist attractions of Hanoi, albeit fleeting. And to visit it or not in order to see the train passing between the tables with tourists for a couple of minutes, of course, it's up to you to decide.
🕐 Working hours
You can visit the street at any time, but the most interesting thing is to catch the moment of passing the train. Regular trains pass here several times a day, and technical trains and tractors can also pass outside the schedule. Here are the time intervals according to the schedule when regular trains pass through the street:
Tuesday-Saturday
- 08:41 – 08:49
- 09:25 – 09:33
- 11:44 – 11:52
- 15:15 – 15:23
- 17:32 – 17:40
- 18:10 – 18:18
On Sunday
- 07:15 – 07:23
- 08:41 – 08:49
- 09:25 – 09:33
- 11:44 – 11:52
- 15:15 – 15:23
- 17:32 – 17:40
- 18:10 – 18:18
On Monday
- 08:41 – 08:49
- 09:25 – 09:33
- 11:44 – 11:52
- 15:15 – 15:23
- 17:32 – 17:40
- 17:57 – 18:05
- 18:10 – 18:18
- 18:55 – 19:03
The schedule is generally stable, but may change on holidays and weekends. Therefore, it is better to clarify it on a specific date when you decide to visit this place. You can do this on the official website of the railways of Vietnam - https://dsvn.vn/. To do this, you need to look at the schedule between the stations Ha Noi and Long Bien in one direction and the other, as in this screenshot:
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge. During the passage of the train, you can stay on the street only if you buy something in one of the cafes at highly inflated prices (soft drinks from 60,000 VND / approximately 2.28 USD, beer - from 60 000 VND / approximately 2.28 USD). If you don't buy anything, then sellers and railway traffic controllers will take you out of here.
🚶 How to get there
The street with the train in Hanoi is located one kilometer from the Lake of the Returned Sword and the tourist area (street with a train on the map of Hanoi). It is easy to walk here from any hotel in the area in 10-20 minutes. A taxi ride through the Grab, Maxim and other applications will cost from 40,000 VND. You can also get there by city buses. We told you all about transport in Hanoi and how to use it in our guide-guide here...
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