Hanoi Train Street Timetable and Important Tips [2024]

One of the most unique things to do in Hanoi is enjoy a drink on Hanoi Train Street while waiting for the train to come. It was a truly unique and thrilling experience.

During my third visit, I was lucky to have the chance to talk with Mr. Dong, the owner of Railway Cafe. He has been living on the Hanoi Railway Street since childhood, and I was able to gather a lot of useful information from him, particularly regarding the interesting history of the area and the Hanoi Train Street timetable.

In this blog post, I will provide you with all the essential information you need to know about this attraction including the Hanoi train street times, and IMPORTANT TIPS when visiting Hanoi train street.

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1. What times do trains go through Train Street Hanoi?

If you want to see the train pass through Hanoi Train Street, here is the Hanoi Train Street schedule in 2024:

 💡 Note:

• Based on my experience, the train usually arrives late (could be up to 30 mins).
• Entrance to the train street is free. However, you should buy drinks or food from the cafe shops to get a spot.
• This is the schedule for the most famous part of Hanoi train street, if you want to find a less crowded part of it, keep scrolling to the next part “Where is Hanoi Train Street”)

Read more: A thorough guide to Ta Hien Beer Street in Hanoi’s Old Quarter

2. Tips when visiting the Hanoi train street

• Everything in Hanoi Train Street is not cheap. A drink costs about 60.000 VND, a small banhmi costs 80.000 VND – as twice much as other places. Therefore, I don’t recommend eating or buy any souvenirs there. Just order a drink, that’s all.
• Don’t trust the Hanoi train street schedule 100%. Sometimes the train is not punctual at all.
• For your safety, stand behind the orange safety line or stay inside the cafe.
• Don’t stand in front of any shops for too long if you don’t want to buy anything.
• There is a small food street called Tong Duy Tan Street located next to the train street, which offers tons of delicious food. You can visit it after the train street.

3. Where is the Hanoi Train Street?

The Hanoi Train Street is a section of the railway track that connects Hanoi Station with other provinces. Currently, it is still in use, but in the future (by 2050), there might not be any trains running here anymore as Hanoi Railway Station will be relocated to another location.

There is no official gate to enter the Hanoi Train Street, but there are multiple entry points to access it. Below are 2 parts of Hanoi Train Street and the corresponding entry points:

Part 1: This part is the famous one with plenty of colorful café shops. Below are the 3 entry points for Part 1:

• 163 Phung Hung Street 
• 3 Tran Phu Street
• 3 Dien Bien Phu Street

Part 2: This part is less popular than Part 1 and it’s a good place to avoid the crowd. Below are the 2 entry points for Part 3: 

• 222 Le Duan Street
• 2A Kham Thien Street

Regarding the timetable, it’s different from Part 1 and more frequent. You can check the schedule of Hanoi Train Street Part 2 in dsvn.vn, type from “Hanoi” to “Nam Dinh” and choose the date. There, you will find the timetable for all trains on selected days. 

Hanoi train street map

Below is a map in which I’ve highlighted part 1 in yellow and part 2 in purple. You can click on each point to view the corresponding the exact address.

4. Why is Hanoi Train Street so famous?

Hanoi’s Train Street is undoubtedly one of the most unique and exciting attractions in the city. Why? Because this is where you can see a railway running alongside a narrow road hemmed in by local houses that are only a meter away from the tracks. 

Imagine you are drinking a cup of coffee while sitting in a small chair next to a railway. As you savor the coffee, suddenly someone shouts, ‘The train is coming, get inside immediately!’ and you have to move inside the cafe. That’s exactly what I saw when visiting Hanoi Train Street for the first time.

I have visited Hanoi Train Street more than 5 times.

During my third visit on a Sunday morning, I witnessed three trains passing by. It was so thrilling because I sat right in front of the cafe’s door, less than 1 meter from the train. My feeling?…Well, scared and fun.

Read more: How to go from Hanoi to Cat Ba Island by bus?

5. Is the Hanoi Train Street currently open or closed?

The train street is not officially open, but you can still visit it. 

Just walk to the address I’ve mentioned above and someone will take you to their shops.

6. Hanoi train street history 

I spent nearly three hours speaking with Mr. Dong and was thrilled to have gathered a lot of information about the history of Hanoi Train Street. 

The railway station, previously known as Hang Co Railway Station before 1976, was built by the French from 1901 to 1902. In 1954, ownership of the station was transferred to the League for the Independence of Vietnam.

During the period 1960 to 1975, many employees of the Vietnam Railways Corporation were given land along the railway track, including Mr. Dong’s mother. This is how Hanoi Train Street was established. 

Mr.Dong himself has also lived here for years. He depicted the local life on this street as poor. No one wanted to live here as it was very dirty, full of trash, and overgrown with wild grass.

When the Railway Law was issued in 2005, all the houses located in this area were identified to be within the safety corridor of the railway, which meant that the people living there suddenly become illegal residents.

Since 2005 until now, no functional agency has come forward to free up the land or relocate residents from the railway safety corridor, causing the locals’ lives and daily activities to face numerous difficulties and hardships.

In 2017, the first cafe shop on Hanoi Railway Street was opened by a local woman. Since then, more and more cafes have been opened and the street has gradually transformed into today’s appearance – lively, colorful, but still rustic.

In 2019, the local authorities decided to block the street for safety reasons (I saw police officers standing there every day just to monitor the street).

In 2023, the street has been “unofficially” opened again.

Read more:Ninh Binh day trip from Hanoi: Itinerary & tips

7. The local life on Hanoi train street

Most of the houses on Hanoi Train Street are small (as small as 8 square meters), including Mr. Dong’s house. He said that if the government approves the opening of Hanoi train street, he will reconstruct his house into 2-3 floors to have more living space and to accommodate more customers.

As the houses are narrow, locals often do their household chores in front of their doors, such as burning stoves, washing dishes, washing clothes, etc. 

To foreigners, this might seem quite strange, but to be honest, it’s a common practice in Vietnam, especially in small provinces where there are many landed houses.

If you want to see more of the local life on Hanoi train street, it’s better to go to the less popular part (part 2 and 3).

8. Is it safe to visit the Hanoi train street?

Yes, it is.

To ensure the safety of all visitors, business owners on both sides of the railway typically proactively notify individuals 10-15 minutes before the train arrives and ask them to stay behind the safety line (marked with yellow color). 

In addition, 10 minutes before the train comes, there will be a bell ringing to notify everyone.

Besides, according to regulations, trains from Hanoi station to Long Bien station are only allowed to run at a maximum speed of 15 km/h, which is much slower than other sections of the rail line.

Therefore, it’s safe to visit the Hanoi train street, just don’t do crazy things such as touching the train when it’s passing by.

Read more: Review Water Puppet Show at Thang Long Theatre – Hanoi

Above is all the information you need to know about Hanoi Train Street including its history, how to get there, Hanoi Train Street timetable, etc. If you have any questions, feel free to comment below. Thanks for reading!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. Are there any accidents on Hanoi train street?

As of 2023, there was no accident recorded in the Hanoi train street

2. Should I visit Hanoi Train Street in the daytime or at night?

It depends on what you wanna see.

If you want to see the train passing by the street, follow the Hanoi train street timetable above.

If you just want to see the local life, you can visit it anytime you want.

3. Is the train street schedule accurate?

No, it’s not.

It’s only for reference because sometimes the trains come late. But it’s advisable to follow the timetable above and patiently wait for the train.

4. Where is the best place to see the train street in Hanoi?

Below are 3 best locations to enter the most colourful part of the Hanoi Train Street:

• 163 Phung Hung Street 

• 3 Tran Phu Street
• 3 Dien Bien Phu Street

5. When should I visit Hanoi Train Street?

You should visit the Hanoi Train Street when the train is passing by. The train schedule is as below:

• Monday – Friday: 21:05, 21:40, 22:00
• Saturday & Sunday: 7:45, 8:50, 9:20, 11:30, 15:20, 16:20, 17:30, 18:15

6. Can you walk on Hanoi Train Street?

Yes, you can.

You can walk along the train street when no trains are passing by. Once the train is coming, find a safe spot to stand or sit.

7. Why is Train Street Hanoi closed?

The Hanoi Train Street was closed due to safety reasons. However, since 2023, it’s unofficially opened again.