Hanoi Train Street

This guide to Hanoi Train Street traces the French railway built through this residential lane in 1902 and its transformation into a photogenic strip of trackside cafes, and the years-long standoff between residents and authorities trying to shut them down. It follows a string of crackdowns from 2019 through November 2025, and the promises made and broken after each one. Listen for how tables vanish and reappear within seconds of a passing train's whistle.