Hanoi Train Street – a must see sight?
I don’t usually start drinking at 11am, honest! But our guide Emily insisted so we could get a special souvenir from Hanoi Train Street. When in Vietnam…
The quirky nature of Train Street makes it one of Vietnam’s most photographed places in recent years. With this comes the busyness of tour groups and safety concerns as visitors position themselves for the perfect shot.
It’s no hidden gem and it has definitely been commercialised. But we decided to go and experience it anyway.
I got a lot of messages about this place when I posted about it on Instagram, so I thought I share a bit more to help you decide whether visiting the Train Street in Hanoi is worth it for you.
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About Hanoi Train Street
Thanks to YouTube our girls knew about Train Street before we’d even considered Vietnam as a destination for our summer travels.
So as soon as we said we were going they were super excited about the prospect of sitting somewhere famous (never mind visiting Abu Simbel in Egypt or Sigiriya Rock in Sri Lanka – huff!).
The train line has been here since the start of the 20th Century and runs straight through a narrow residential street. People have lived here for decades and still do. The trains and, more recently, the constant flow of noisy tourists make the rent cheap.
The track itself is part of a mainline connecting Hanoi with Ho Chi Minh City, which can be reached in 36 hours. The majority of people on the train itself are tourists travelling this route.
Why is it one of Hanoi’s must see tourist attractions?
It was the 21st Century social media boom that made Train Street a popular spot for visitors.
A huge train, narrow streets and the fact it’s easily accessible made it a gold mine for people after a quirky picture.
Locals seized the business opportunity and set up cafes in living rooms and the backs of shops that ran along this 200 meter piece of track between Western Hanoi and the Old Quarter.
Here’s where to find it.
Train Street timetable
I’ll be honest, the timetable changes and trains sometimes run late. So I’m not going to give you a firm timetable here.
The cafe that we stopped at had the train times for the month up on a board. Even they added a note saying the times were subject to change.
But as a general rule, our guide told us there were usually four trains during the day, two in the morning and two in the afternoon, and then six overnight.
To be sure, speak to one of the cafe owners and come back later if a train is not arriving soon.
How to visit Train Street
You can visit Train Street as part of a guided tour, which is what we did, or you can visit independently. Either way you must have a seat at one of the cafes before the train comes.
We arrived 30 minutes ahead of the 11.40am train and took a seat in the shade outside Hanoi 1990s cafe with fans whizzing above our heads.
It was just as well we had the fans as the train was 35 minutes late and the humidity was high.
Get there at least half an hour early to bag a good seat as it gets busy. A lot of seats were taken when we arrived but our guide had called ahead to reserve ours.
Safety
In 2019, and again in 2022, incidents involving tourists led to the street being closed.
The cafe owners pushed for it to be reopened and when we visited in July 2024 it was very much in business, attracting international and local tourists for the buzz.
Mr Tin Box visited again during a work trip in June 2026 and it was open.
So, at the time of updating this post, the train street in Hanoi was open.
I think there’s a lot of chat online about whether or not this popular Hanoi location is open or not because the trains are infrequent during the day. And if you visit when one is not due, it can look abandoned.
There are also security guards at the entrances to Train Street. As we were with a guide we were able to walk straight in.
Other people visiting independently were taken in by cafe staff.
There was a lot of activity ahead of the train’s arrival. The staff at our cafe and the ones around us folded down their tables which gave us a better idea of quite how close the train would come.
They were then on walkie talkies discussing the train’s location before shouting that it was coming.
I know some people question how safe Train Street is, but if you are sensible and listen to the instructions of the cafe staff there is no danger. The only problems have occurred when people have moved too close to the tracks to get a better picture.
Visiting Hanoi’s Train Street with kids
If you have children who find it difficult to sit still then it’s not the best place to visit. We had to wait quite a while past the scheduled train time.
A coconut drink and the bustle of the street thankfully kept our nine and 11-year-olds interested while we waited. If we’d sat there longer than an hour I think we might have had to give up.
Young children might struggle with walking along the tracks to a cafe unless you find one that is accessible from the street running parallel. Hanoi 1990s Cafe had street access.
We’d also recommend sitting in the shade and definitely finding a cafe with fans during the summer.
Is Train Street worth it?
It takes less than a minute for the loco to thunder through but it was a big tick off our girls’ Vietnam bucket lists on the first day of our trip.
We thought it was totally worth booking a street food tour* that included it.
If you visit independently it’s a fun and cheap experience for the price of a drink. OK, so food and drink is more expensive at the cafes here than from less well known side street, but you’ll not pay a fortune.
So if you can spare an hour, it’s worth a visit.
Souvenirs from the Train Street in Hanoi
The point of our 11am beers was to get those special bottle cap souvenirs from Train Street. To be honest, I was more interested in a coffee after our 15 hour journey from Muscat the day before. But Emily was very persuasive.
She took the caps from our bottles and placed them on one of the rails. After the train had passed we had two perfectly pressed Hanoi Beer disks to take home.
There’s also people selling fans and other souvenirs on the street. We didn’t find them too pushy and they moved on when we politely declined.
Our Hanoi Street Food Tour
After Train Street we went on to do a street food tour with Emily, which was a highlight of our time in Hanoi.
We decided on this private tour with the kids as it meant we weren’t rushed or tied to a group. This was also the furthest East we’ve been as a family so we needed a few pointers on crossing roads, chopstick etiquette and haggling.
Emily talked us through each of these and gave us even more tips that were really useful at the start of our trip.
And we paid half the price for the tour via Get Your Guide* than would have if we’d booked through our hotel.
Food glorious Vietnamese food
All our food and drink (even the beer) was included and we ate so much!
Our roving lunch consisted of:
- Bánh Mì with pickled vegetables, marinated pork or chicken and pate in a crispy roll.
- Delicate Bánh Cuốn rice flour wraps cooked on a steamer filled with dry mushrooms and ground pork. We also tried the egg version topped with fried onions and served with a dipping sauce.
- Delicious Pho noodle soup served with beef or chicken with veggies and peanuts.
- Phở Cuốn rice wraps filled with beef and salad lettuce.
- Hot egg coffee and cold salt coffee
- Deep fried sweet and salty Banh Ran doughnuts.
Emily explained that the dishes we tried in Hanoi would be different to other areas, particularly the south where less salt is added in favour of more sugar. Pho also comes with less broth in Hanoi compared to Ho Chi Minh City.
Our tour lasted three hours which was just right for the kids in the heat and after a busy day of travel.
We left Emily near St Joseph’s Cathedral and wandered back through the Old Quarter to our hotel with our newly acquired traffic stopping skills.
Check prices and availability for this tour*.
Where to stay in Hanoi’s Old Quarter
We stayed at Acoustic Hotel & Spa* not far from Train Street. This small hotel is super friendly, affordable and has family rooms.
There’s also great city views from the roof top bar and a pair of hot tubs for relaxing in after a hard day sightseeing.
Read my full review of Acoustic Hotel & Spa.
More reading about Vietnam travel
Hanoi was the first stop in our 2 week Vietnam itinerary. From Hanoi our next destination was Ha Long Bay for a two night cruise and then three nights in colourful Hoi An.
After this we spent three nights in Ho Chi Minh City including a day trip to the Cu Chi Tunnels at Ben Dinh.
We finished off our holiday at a family-friendly resort in Phu Quoc.
You can catch up with the rest of our trip by checking out my Instagram account where there are three Stories about our 14 days in Vietnam.
Usually I’d also recommend the Lonely Planet’s destination guide to help you plan your trip, but I bought the Vietnam 2023 edition and was a bit disappointed. A lot of the information was generic and I spotted several mistakes.
I’d suggest trying the Rough Guide* or Eyewitness travel guide* instead.
Your detailed account of Hanoi Train Street truly captures its charm and unique appeal! The mix of history, local life, and the thrill of the passing train makes it a must-visit spot. Loved the personal touch with your family’s experience and the thoughtful tips for travelers—super helpful!
Thank you Erj, I’m glad you enjoyed it.