VietNamNet Bridge - Despite danger, these people still live near the railway because it is their part of their livelihood and daily habit.

People in this hamlet do everything near and even on the railway. They run away when they hear the train whistle from a distance. This is a familiar scene at the so-called railroad hamlet in Phung Hung Street, Hanoi.

The residents of the railroad hamlet are used to the noise. Their daily life has taken place near and on the railroad for years.

Along the railway are the houses of railway workers. These houses were illegally expanded and are now near the railway. The safety corridor has gradually narrowed. 

In the afternoon, women on the railway cook. It becomes their kitchen.

Mrs. Canh, who has been living here for decades, said her family and people in the hamlet are familiar with the noise from trains. “All of us, including kids, know clearly about the train schedule so we aren't afraid of the train.”

Canh said her 20m2 house next to the rail was granted to her family member who worked in the railway sector many years ago. She said some families here buy new houses and lease them here to students or workers.

Mr. Bong from Nam Dinh province said his family hired a house here. At first his two children were startled at the sound from trains and cried but now they are used to it.

Bong and his wife were worried about safety for their children but they had to accept because the rent is cheap - just VND900,000 ($40) per month. 

Mr. Chi, a local resident, said he is used to the small house and the noisy life and he did not want to change.

“I cannot invite my relatives to my house because I’m afraid that they will be upset by the noisy trains, which pass the hamlet every hour,” said a local woman named Huong.

Behind the glamorous urban life in Hanoi is a different life of workers and migrants.

The life at the railway hamlet in photos:

Photo: aFamily

Linh Nhat