Our first visit to train street, during the Tet holiday.
While stuck in our 14 day quarantine, we had plenty of time to google and dream of life on the outside. We spent quite a lot of hours researching what we could do in Hanoi and beyond. One of the places that kept popping up as a “must see” in Hanoi was the famous (infamous?) train street.
We have visited train street twice now. The train comes through several times a day. So, there are plenty of chances to see it.
Train street is famous because of how narrow it is and the many bars and restaurants which line it. You can sit outside, have some phở gà and a Bia Saigon, and watch the train go by. The tracks were build in 1902 by the French and go through the center of the city. Train street has gotten a lot of bad press in recent years as tourists come in droves for photos and selfies along the tracks. Apparently, the street was shut down in 2019. But there are still plenty of places open. We also have the advantage of Vietnam not currently being open to tourism, so the tracks were not crowded at all—actually they were quite empty. It felt pretty safe to us—as long as you sequester your children in the furthest corners of the very small restaurant and keep track of the schedule!
Will Travel with Toddlers 