Many tourists who came to the coffee street along the railway in Hoan Kiem district, from Tran Phu to Phung Hung, were stopped by security guards. Inside, there were police officers standing guard. Any tourists who got past the security guards were asked to leave. However, unlike the bustling scene before, today, this world-famous and controversial railway section is deserted.
Inside the railway cafe street crossing in Hoan Kiem district, there are a few foreign tourists walking. They are the ones who were brought in by the cafes inside the railway tracks through the passages of the houses right at the Tran Phu crossing.
Outside the barrier, many tourists lined up to look inside, many people asked each other how to get in.
However, when they learned that it was forbidden and the only way to get inside was by taking an "unofficial" route, the group of tourists turned to the other side of the street, where a new train street had just sprung up.
On the opposite side is the railway section from Tran Phu to Dien Bien Phu (Tran Phu crossing to Dien Bien Phu crossing) which has just been repaired. The road is still paved with cobblestones and the newly repaired railway is still muddy, but shops have quickly sprung up. Signs still prohibit tourists from entering, but there are no guards. The woman in red shirt enthusiastically invites tourists inside, "You can drink coffee or beer, but you can't just walk."
The junction between two railway lines in two different districts
After being unable to enter the railway track on the Hoan Kiem District side, a foreign tourist couple brought their young child to the new railway cafe street in Ba Dinh District. The male tourist said that he had heard about the ban on the railway track but still went because he found out how to get in online. However, when he arrived, he did not enter by "dodging" because he discovered that there was a new railway cafe street opposite.
According to a shop owner inside the new train street cafe, Hoan Kiem district is increasingly tightening the rules for tourists to enter and exit, while Dong Da district is more lenient. "Security guards occasionally let visitors in at Dien Bien Phu checkpoint, but they are completely open to visitors at Tran Phu checkpoint. We just let visitors in to eat and drink," she said.
"Many tourists who come inside still wonder and ask us why they don't let them in there, but they do here. We just smile and can't answer," she added.
According to many traders here, the new train street coffee street is not as beautiful as the old train street, because the old place has a curve, every time the train passes by, the pictures and videos are very beautiful.
The trading scene was bustling.
Tourists can comfortably travel on the rails.
The new shop was built spaciously.
Last August, the railway industry requested the Hanoi People's Committee to coordinate in handling the situation of tourists filming and taking photos in violation of railway safety corridors and people selling coffee, drinks and other items at the railway coffee street (section belonging to Hoan Kiem and Ba Dinh districts). Therefore, on the night of September 14, 2022, this world-famous coffee street was blocked, officially "banned" from tourists.
At that time, Mr. Nguyen Anh Quan, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hoan Kiem District, said that the railway coffee business model appeared around 2017 - 2018. There were about 30 railway coffee shops in the district. "100% of households doing business on the railway are violating the railway safety corridor," he said and said that all issued business registration licenses would be revoked and business would be suspended. However, up to now, not only does the old railway coffee street still exist, but a new railway coffee street has also sprung up, and tourists still keep coming.
Many foreign newspapers have praised Hanoi's train street coffee street. Last year, CNN wrote: "The street has long been controversial, although it is famous around the world for the scene of trains running on the tracks between two shops just a few inches apart. This place attracts tourists to experience the thrill of standing in the middle of the tracks and posing for photos."
Despite the closure, foreign tourists continue to flock to visit. In November 2022, the German football team Borussia Dortmund came to Hanoi for a friendly match and came to the railway cafe to enjoy the coffee by sitting on the tracks. Photos of the players on the tracks prompted the local authorities to once again resolutely close this area.
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