What You Need to Know About Hanoi’s Train Street

If you’re planning a trip to Hanoi and are looking for a unique experience, check out the terrifying train street, where people live extremely close to the railway tracks. When the residents hear the train approaching, they will simply take their goods away, including their children and pets. And after the train has passed, they can go back to their normal day to day tasks as if nothing happened! Seeing these locals go about their daily life beside the train tracks is an experience that you will never forget.

Need a Visa to Vietnam?

Before you go to Hanoi, it is best to check if you need a visa to Vietnam. If you belong to the countries that require a visa, then you need to go vietnamvisa.cheap to apply for your visa in advance. Applying for your visa through the website is so easy. You just need to choose your country of residence and when you click on the button to apply for a visa, you’ll be asked to fill out some information. When you’re done, simply make a payment and wait for an email for your pre-approval letter. Once you receive the letter, print this out and carry with you on your trip to Vietnam.

Where is the Hanoi Train Street?

 

If you’re interested to visit the train street of Hanoi, the first question you probably have in mind is where this street is located. You can visit two sections of the street to observe the train as it passes by the tracks. Both areas will give you the same level of experience. The first section is known as Le Duan, and this is a bit further out of the city center. It only has one cafe where you can sit and observe the train. This area is between the streets of Lê Duẩn and Khâm Thiên.

The other area where you can observe the train is at the Tran Phu main road at the Old Quarter section and is just within the city. This street is lined with cafes, shops, and home stays and is often busier than the one in Le Duan.

What To Expect at the Hanoi Train Street?

There are lots of activities going on at the train street before the train arrives. On each side of the railway tracks, you’ll find colorful buildings and houses built just a few inches away from the tracks that you can literally touch the train passing by even if you’re inside the house!

Just like with any villages, local residents can be seen going about their daily chores in the train street. Early in the morning, you can smell aromas from food being cooked in the porches just across the tracks. Young kids can be seen playing and running around the tracks and women are washing their laundry in basins that were propped against the railway tracks! You’ll also find lots of clothes hanging along the street where the train would pass.

Interestingly enough, the people here have already developed a harmonious coexistence with the passing of the trains. When the train is about to come, people will synchronically pick up their stuff to secure them inside. Of course, that also includes securing the kids who have made the tracks their playground. After the train has passed, people will re-emerge from their houses ready to carry on with their daily tasks! The sight is pretty unusual, which is why visiting the train street should be in your list of places to visit while in Hanoi.

What Time Will The Trains Pass?

 

If you want to observe how locals would go about their daily life when a train is passing, it is best to time your visit when the rain passes. In Le Duan street, trains would pass by everyday at 3.30 pm and 7.30 pm as they make their way towards the Long Bien railway station. It is best to go there early and look for a safe spot where you can observe the passing of the train. At the Old Quarter area, there are trains passing by at around 6 AM and 7 PM during weekdays and several times during the weekend.