Hanoi's Train Street is open in practice but not officially. The famous Phung Hung and Tran Phu section beside the Old Quarter has been barricaded since 2022, you can only get in by being escorted to a café, and in 2026 the authorities agreed to cut its passenger trains and stop freight through it. The easier section is Kham Thien, off Le Duan street just south of Hanoi station, where Reunification Express trains still pass the cafés several times a day. Expect to buy a drink, sit where you are told, and treat every train time as approximate.
Train Street has been one of Hanoi's most photographed sights since the first cafés opened along the tracks in 2018, and one of its most regulated. Our one day in Hanoi itinerary suggests how much time to give it.
Two train streets, not one
There are two separate stretches, about 1.7 km apart:
| Section | Where | Line | Status in 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phung Hung and Tran Phu | Beside the Old Quarter, north of Hanoi station | Hanoi to Long Bien, Hai Phong and Lao Cai | Barricaded; café escort only; trains being cut |
| Kham Thien, off Le Duan | Lane 224 Le Duan, south of Hanoi station | Reunification line, to the south | Cafés open; daily trains |
Phung Hung and Tran Phu is the section in most photographs: a French-built line from 1902 running about 0.85 km past tall, narrow houses along Dien Bien Phu, Phung Hung and Tran Phu streets. Kham Thien, reached at lane 224 Le Duan, is on the main north-south line, so every train between Hanoi and the south passes it a minute after leaving or before reaching Hanoi station.
How it got here: closures since 2019
- October 2019: after crowds forced a train to be rerouted, the authorities ordered trackside cafés to close and posted barriers and police.
- September 2022: police barricaded the entrances on Tran Phu, Phung Hung and Dien Bien Phu, citing 30 businesses that broke railway safety rules.
- 2023 onwards: cafés quietly reopened and visitors returned, without any official reopening.
- March 2025: Hanoi's tourism department asked travel agencies not to run tours to the Phung Hung and Tran Phu section, as VnExpress reported.
- November 2025: police cleared canopies and seating on the Kham Thien section; the cafés were serving again within days.
- 2026: café owners on Kham Thien were fined 2.5 million VND in January, after a customer sat about 50 cm from the rails, and again in August, after a passing train knocked a phone from a tourist's hand.
The pattern is consistent: periodic crackdowns, fines on café owners, and a quiet return within days.
The 2026 plan to cut trains on the Phung Hung section
In January 2026, Hanoi proposed ending passenger trains between Hanoi station and Long Bien, partly to turn the stone railway arches around Phung Hung into a cultural and tourism space. On 27 February 2026, the Ministry of Construction and the city agreed to cut passenger trains and stop all freight through the Phung Hung section and over Long Bien Bridge, with the work due before July 2026, as VnExpress reported. At the time, the section carried four pairs of daily passenger trains to Hai Phong and two to Lao Cai, and one Hai Phong pair had already been moved to start at Long Bien from February 2026.
We have not been able to confirm how many trains still use the Phung Hung section since July. The Kham Thien section, on the Reunification line, is not part of the plan and still sees daily trains.
When the trains pass
Kham Thien section. Trains pass about a minute after leaving or a minute before reaching Hanoi station. Using the timetable published by Seat 61 in June 2026, that means roughly:
| Direction | Train | Leaves or reaches Hanoi |
|---|---|---|
| Leaving, southbound | SE7 | 06:00 |
| SE5 | 08:55 | |
| SE9 | 12:50 | |
| SE3 | 19:20 | |
| SE19 | 19:45 | |
| SE1 | 20:50 | |
| Arriving, northbound | SE2 | 05:45 |
| SE20 | 11:40 | |
| SE8 | 16:10 | |
| SE6 | 19:12 |
The evening cluster, from about 19:00 to 21:00, gives you the best chance of seeing two or three trains in one sitting. Cafés post their own lists, which differ from the timetable, and trains often run late, so arrive about 30 minutes early and ask the staff.
Phung Hung section. Trains to Hai Phong and Lao Cai used this section, with passes spread through the day and more at weekends, but the 2026 cuts mean any older timetable may be out of date. Ask your café what is still running.
Costs, rules and safety
Entry to the lane is free, but you are expected to buy a drink. On the Phung Hung section, a café owner escorts you past the barrier and you buy at least one drink, typically 50,000 to 100,000 VND; on the Kham Thien section, guides in 2026 found free access to the lane. Egg coffee costs from about 50,000 VND and bottled water about 20,000 VND. Stay at the café that brought you in.
The rules are short and serious:
- Be seated before the train comes. Staff clear tables 5 to 10 minutes ahead and will whistle at anyone standing near the track.
- Pull your knees and bags towards the wall. In places the gap between the houses and the rails is less than a metre.
- Never stand on or beside the rails, and do not put coins or bottle caps on them, which is illegal.
- Ignore touts who claim a train is due in five minutes to rush you into a café.
Getting there
The Kham Thien section is at lane 224 Le Duan, a short Grab ride south of the Old Quarter; the area is now part of Van Mieu-Quoc Tu Giam ward. The Phung Hung entrances are on Tran Phu and Dien Bien Phu, a short walk west of the Old Quarter. Combine a visit with the Temple of Literature, near Kham Thien, or with Old Quarter street food; our 3 days in Hanoi itinerary and Hanoi street food guide have ideas, and our Vietnamese coffee guide explains what to order.
If you would rather ride the trains than watch them, our train fares guide covers the Reunification Express.
Limitations
Train Street's status changes without notice, and it has never been officially reopened. We have not confirmed how many trains still pass the Phung Hung section after the July 2026 deadline. Train times come from the Seat 61 timetable and are approximate at the trackside, and café prices vary. The details here come from Vietnamese press reports and 2026 visitor guides.
Workaround: check recent reviews or ask your hotel on the day, go to the Kham Thien section for the most reliable trains, and follow the café staff's instructions.