Hanoi Train Street: An Evening by the Tracks, and the 2026 Rules

Yes, you can still see the train on Hanoi Train Street in 2026, but not as an official attraction. In practice you take a seat at one of the cafes or restaurants along the tracks, buy a drink, and wait for the train. Police can close access at any time, and standing on the rails can get you fined.

I went on my November 2026 trip to Hanoi. My short take: prices are quite high compared with elsewhere, but seeing the train come through, and then go back, is quite an experience.

My evening on Train Street

I was there around 7 PM, and two trains passed in that one hour.

Normally you have to sit in a restaurant or coffee shop along the tracks to stay. So I sat down and had beer. It was maybe about 5 US dollars a bottle, but I’m not sure of the exact price, so take that as approximate.

Where Hanoi Train Street is

Two stretches of track carry the name Train Street (phố đường tàu):

• The Phung Hung side (Phùng Hưng), between Hanoi Station and Long Bien Station, near the Old Quarter. The best known entrance is where the track crosses Tran Phu street (Trần Phú).
• The Kham Thien side (Khâm Thiên), south of Hanoi Station, running from Kham Thien street to the alleys off Le Duan street (Lê Duẩn).

Map: Hanoi Train Street on Google Maps. Both stretches are a short Grab ride from the Old Quarter.

Can you visit in 2026? The rules

Train Street is not an approved tourist sight. There is no ticket and no opening time. It is a residential street on a working railway.

• Access. Barriers and police checkpoints stand at the main entrances. Visitors usually get through as customers of a specific cafe. On some days police clear the area, and then nobody gets in.
• Tours. Hanoi’s tourism department asked travel companies in March 2025 not to promote or run tours to the cafe area.
• Fines for visitors. Under Decree 81/2026, in force since 15 May 2026, walking, standing, sitting or lying on the railway can cost an individual 300,000 to 500,000 dong.
• Fines for cafes. Police have fined cafe owners about 2.5 million dong for trading inside the railway safety corridor, for example in January 2026, and again after a train knocked a tourist’s phone out of her hand on the Kham Thien side in August 2026.
• Fewer trains planned. In March 2026 the Ministry of Construction agreed with Hanoi to stop freight trains and reduce passenger trains between Hanoi Station and Gia Lam, the section that includes the Phung Hung stretch. The target was July 2026. As of early November 2026 the published timetable still showed passenger trains on both stretches, and no report confirmed the cut had started. Check before you go.

Train times

The Vietnam Railways timetable for November 2026, as compiled by one tracker on 3 November, shows these scheduled times at Hanoi Station:

• Phung Hung side: 05:40, 06:00, 08:00, 08:49, 09:25, 11:52, 13:30, 15:15, 17:40, 18:10, 19:30, 21:15, 21:45, 22:00 and 22:40, plus 19:03 on Sundays in November.
• Kham Thien side, leaving southbound: 06:00, 06:15, 08:00, 13:00, 19:20, 19:45, 21:45 and 22:15.
• Kham Thien side, arriving from the south: 03:40, 04:36, 05:21, 05:42, 11:10, 16:20, 18:30 and 19:14.

The train passes a few minutes after a departure or a few minutes before an arrival. Freight trains are not in the passenger timetable and can come at other times. Schedules change, so check locally on the day, ask your hotel or the cafe, and arrive about 30 minutes early. Cafe staff usually ask people to clear the track well before a train is due.

If you go: safety rules

• Stop at every barrier. Do not walk around it or follow someone through a house.
• Do what police, railway staff and cafe owners tell you, straight away.
• Never sit, stand or put a tripod on the rails.
• Do not hold phones or selfie sticks out toward a moving train. A moving train cannot stop quickly.
• Keep children and bags close and well back.
• People live here. Do not block doorways.
• Buying a drink does not override an official closure. If the area is closed, leave.

A legal alternative: Hoa Xa Cafe at Long Bien Station

Vietnam Railways opened Hoa Xa Cafe (Cà phê Hỏa Xa) in June 2023 in a renovated building in the grounds of Long Bien Station, on Tran Nhat Duat street (Trần Nhật Duật). It has big windows onto the tracks and Long Bien Bridge, with a fence and security staff between you and the trains. Its own website lists opening hours of 07:00 to 23:00 daily. The view is less dramatic than Train Street, but you are allowed to be there. Check the hours before you go.

The old steel Long Bien Bridge over the Red River is also worth a walk.

Photo tips that do not need the rails

• Shoot from your seat, not from the track.
• A wide lens gets the houses and the rails in the same frame.
• Evening trains give you lit windows and cafe lights.
• Use burst mode. The train is fast and the gap is small.
• Ask before you photograph residents.

Related reading

• Saigon Stays Saigon: Notes from Ho Chi Minh City
• Hoi An in Dry Season
• Da Nang in the Rain
• Laos Travel Guide: Luang Prabang, Vientiane and the Mekong
• Thailand Travel Guide

FAQ

Is Hanoi Train Street open in 2026?
Not officially. Cafes along the tracks still serve customers on many days, but access is restricted and police can close it without notice.

Do you have to pay to see Hanoi Train Street?
There is no ticket. In practice you sit at a cafe or restaurant along the tracks and buy a drink or food. Prices are higher than elsewhere in Hanoi and vary by cafe, so ask before you order.

What time does the train pass?
Several times a day, from early morning to late evening. Around 7 PM there are often trains on both stretches. Check the timetable and ask locally on the day, because schedules change.

Can you get fined on Hanoi Train Street?
Yes. Since 15 May 2026, walking, standing or sitting on the railway can cost 300,000 to 500,000 dong. Cafe owners have also been fined.

Is there a legal place to watch trains in Hanoi?
Yes. Hoa Xa Cafe at Long Bien Station was opened by Vietnam Railways for that purpose.