From Thursday, barriers and warning signs in both Vietnamese and English have been erected and police officers have been deployed to enforce the closure of the famous train street in downtown Hanoi.

Tourists seeking the unique sight are also turned away.

Hoan Kiem District says it will close and revoke the licences of all coffee shops lining the rail line by September 17 over safety concerns.

Some sections of track along the Hà Nội-Đồng Đăng railway line, where trains pass close to residential houses, have been popular with foreign tourists for many years. However, the spot's popularity also poses a major safety hazard.

The move has received understanding from most people.

Nguyen Thi Huong, a resident in Dien Bien Phu Street, thinks it's a good idea and welcomes the move to improve safety.

She said: "When the coffee shops are open, this railway is packed with people, including foreigners and locals, especially when the train is coming. They stand beside the railway line, and I have to stop them from gathering around to prevent any accidents caused by the trains.

Student Do Dinh Vu greed: "I usually come here to have a cup of coffee. However, I think it is necessary to ban coffee shops here because the pavement is very small, and some people even sit on the railway, which is very dangerous for them when there's a train."

While many tourists who came to take photos and videos of the famous cafe were quite disappointed, Australian Jamie Williams doesn't think it will affect tourism much in the long run.

She said: "I think the closure of the coffee shops will impact tourism a little bit, but I don't think it will be a huge countrywide."

The street was ordered to close in late 2019, but after Việt Nam reopened in March this year following two years of border closure, the coffee shops opened too and foreign tourists have been flocking to 'train street' once more.

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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.