Finding a harmonious and effective direction for "train street coffee"

NDO - In recent years, the beverage and food service complex in the Tran Phu - Phung Hung area (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) has had to close many times, much to the regret of tourists from all over the world. The paradox of a tourism model that endangers human life but attracts many visitors is demanding a definitive solution from the authorities.

NDO - In recent years, the beverage and food service complex in the Tran Phu - Phung Hung area (Hoan Kiem district, Hanoi) has had to close many times, much to the regret of tourists from all over the world. The paradox of a tourism model that endangers human life but attracts many visitors is demanding a definitive solution from the authorities.

Saturday, October 26, 2024 - 08:35

Located in Hanoi's Old Quarter, the "train street" is famous for its coffee and beverage service, attracting many tourists from all over the world, especially foreigners. Because here, visitors can enjoy not only drinks, but also the "unique" feeling when trains pass by at a very close distance.

In fact, this "thrilling" service complex has been forced to close many times. In addition, the authorities have been on duty at all hours to ensure the safety of the railway corridor as well as the lives of people and tourists.

However, despite the continuous bans, related services are still springing up at a dizzying speed, gradually turning the "train street alley" into a "train street cafe area". This area is so famous that almost every foreign tourist, especially "backpackers", wants to set foot here and experience it at least once in their life.

In fact, the development of the "train street cafe" complex has brought along many types of "follow-up" tourism services. For example, in the photo, a cyclo driver is waiting and soliciting customers right on the train tracks passing through Tran Phu Street. Of course, similar activities often cause local congestion, negatively affecting public transportation.

A few steps away, the atmosphere inside the "train street cafe" complex is always bustling. Day and night, the railway safety corridor here is seriously violated. Not only foreign tourists, many families and young people also often visit "train street cafe" to have for themselves photos filled with "thrills".

Where there is supply, there is demand. People living around the "train street" area quickly opened a series of services to please and attract customers from all over. Ms. Ha, one of the vendors here, said: running a beverage service business here requires twice the number of workers compared to normal. Because in addition to bartenders and waiters, there must also be someone to "look after" customers every time a train passes by.

Indeed, at the "train track cafe" complex, each business household must manage and ensure the safety of customers using their services. In order to save on labor costs as well as time to clean up the shop when a train is about to pass, many small businesses have "creatively" come up with a way to neatly arrange tables and chairs that customers are using... between the two train tracks.

However, it is clear that the methods of handling of the traders are not enough, because there are always tourists who are too excited and do not care about protecting themselves as well as ensuring the safety of the railway corridor. In front of the tens of tons of heavy trains moving slowly forward, many people still ignore it, even intentionally getting very close to capture the "once in a lifetime" moment.

Every day, about 5-7 trains pass through the "train street cafe" complex. As soon as the bells ring, the cafe staff quickly arranges the visitors' seats as if preparing for a special performance.

This is also the time when the excitement is most evident on the faces of visitors from far away. Everyone has their devices ready to capture the moment the entire train passes by at a distance of just a few inches. Gabriela Bravo, a Spanish tourist, said she has never had a similar experience in any country she has visited in the world. "Although it is dangerous, the excitement of the crowd and the 'professionalism' of the shop owners make us feel much more secure," she said.

Meanwhile, on the second floor of the "train cafes", many tourists do not hesitate to touch the moving train. This is rarely known to the shop owners and staff, or if they do, they are only vaguely reminded.

The distance between tourists and the train is extremely small. Some experts have said that this is a unique and creative type of tourism product of Hanoi. On weekends, the number of visitors to "train street cafes" can increase 3-4 times. Many foreign visitors are willing to "reserve a seat" a few hours in advance to experience the above distance.

In the photo is a foreign couple comfortably taking a selfie as the train passes by. The distance from the man to the train wall is probably less than a hand span.

To add to the uniqueness of this service, the shop owners also encourage and guide customers to buy drinks and then place the bottle cap on the train tracks. After each train passes by, visitors will have a small, unique souvenir.

A female tourist is excited about a unique souvenir from "train street coffee".

It is undeniable that services such as "train street cafes" exist, although dangerous, but they contribute significantly to creating a friendly feeling, contributing to promoting the creativity of Vietnamese tourism to visitors from all over the world. In the photo, many tourists are excited about the footage as well as the special souvenirs they just got after the train passed through the Phung Hung - Tran Phu area.

The birth and certain successes of the Railway Cafe at Long Bien Station (Hanoi) are a very interesting example of the efforts to diversify services of the Vietnam Railway industry. Hopefully, similar initiatives and innovations can be effectively applied to "train cafes", so that this model can operate in the spirit of ensuring security and safety, bringing a beautiful image of Vietnamese tourism in the eyes of international friends.

Source: https://nhandan.vn/anh-tim-huong-di-hai-hoa-hieu-qua-cho-ca-phe-duong-tau-post838707.html