Hanoi Train Track Café now closed amid safety concerns

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The administration of Hoan Kiem district has recently decided to close coffee shops lining a train street for safety reasons.

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The decision has caused public controversy, with some saying the Hanoi Train Track Café should continue to exist in order to attract visitors, particularly as it is a unique tourist destination.

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Meanwhile, many people have complained that the existence of these cafés is extremely dangerous because accidents could happen at any time when a train passes by

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According to relevant traffic laws, the safety corridor of the railway is regulated to be 3 metres, but in fact residential houses are only 2 metre from the edge of the outermost rail.

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Local residents there have built makeshift coffee shops in order to make a living and to capitalise on the trend. Many foreign tourists visiting Hanoi usually drop in for check-in photos or a cup of coffee.

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In 2019, a Hanoi - Hai Phong express train was forced to make an emergency stop at the train track café for more than a minute in order to wait for tourists to move out of the area around the rail tracks.

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Train drivers state that they are highly nervous when the train passes through the narrow street. As a result, they usually only go at around 20 km/h and use their horn continuously though the maximum speed of 25km/h is allowed.

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Some people argue that the Hanoi train track café is a distinctive tourism product of the capital that makes a practical contribution to the local economy.

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However, others note that the cafés only bring in a small amount of money, with tourists risking their own safety for some check-in photos, meaning that it should be closed for safety reasons.

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Following the local administration announcing its decision, some coffee shops along the narrow street have been forced to close.

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Some foreign tourists arrived for a cup of coffee in the morning before relevant forces erected railings.

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A local resident says the coffee shops are normally owned by retired railway employees who made use of the space to earn a living. “I expect the local administration will have a policy to support our business and at the same time to ensure safety,” she says.

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Hanoi Train Track Café now closed amid safety concerns

VOV.VN - Relevant forces in Hanoi were deployed on September 15 to erect barriers in order to block the entrance of coffee shops along the rail tracks running through a narrow street of the capital, halting visitors from coming in for either coffee or check-in photos.