Top attraction deserted as police prevent tourists' entry

Young tourists were heartbroken by the closure of Hanoi's "train street" on Thursday after police blocked off the Instragram-famous tracks for safety reasons.

The safety of the street has been a cause for concern for some time, but local authorities finally gave a weekend deadline for dozens of cafés to shut after a train had to apply its emergency brakes at a section that had become overcrowded with tourists.

The Saigon to Hanoi Train line in Old Quarter Hanoi. Photo / Getty Images

Hanoi authorities said this week they would block people from the tracks to avoid accidents, and police erected barricades on Thursday to keep out disappointed visitors.

"I'm very frustrated because today I can't go in and take a picture," said Mustaza bin Mustapha, a Malaysian tourist, to the Guardian.

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Miss this city 🌃 / #hanoi #vietnam . . . #יובל_אליהו #יובלאליהו_מאמנתכושר #קנגו #מאמנתכושר #אימוןכושר #אימון_כושר #בריאות #לייפסטייל #תזונה #קלוריות #שריפתשומנים #הדדיות_409 #yuval_eliyahu #KangooJumps #kangooPower #calories #lifestyle #burncalories #fitness #streching #girlpower #healthylife #happyness #smile #girlpower #happyness #realfood #healthylife #absolut_ii

A post shared by 𝓨𝓾𝓿𝓪𝓵 𝓔𝓵𝓲𝔂𝓪𝓱𝓾 (@yuvaleliyahu) on Oct 7, 2019 at 1:30am PDT

The train driver Nguyen Huu Nam was quoted in the VN Express, a national Vietnamese newspaper, as saying he saw a woman standing close to the track taking pictures. Nam says he sounded the horn but she did not move, forcing him to stop the train just metres away from her.

Nam said it was the third time he had to make an emergency stop at this section of the railway.

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🇻🇳하노이 기찻길마을 #하노이 #베트남

A post shared by Gyu Ho Jang (@jangqq5) on Oct 4, 2019 at 9:49pm PDT

"When the train comes near, they get very close to the tracks, or lean out from balconies to hold the phone close to the train. Some people ignore safety warnings and sit back on the tracks and take selfies as the train approaches," he added.

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I was trying to enjoy my beer when a train almost hit me

A post shared by Harry Paulett (@harrypaulett96) on Oct 6, 2019 at 1:33am PDT

Nguyen Thi Huyen, director of Hanoi travel agency Vietrantour, said the train street is not typically included in travel itineraries of tourism agencies, but many foreign tourists still flock to the place.

"Most international tourists want to experience things that are different and unique and this is a place where they can take photos of Hanoians' daily lives, old trains running on the railway tracks built during the French colonial era."

"Hanoi lacks such unique tourist attractions to woo foreign tourists; therefore, the closure of coffee shops along the railway corridor would be a mistake," she said.

On Thursday morning, the area "wore a desolate look", reports VNS, "especially compared to the vibrant atmosphere of previous days."

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One of my favourite nights in Vietnam. We came to see the famous train street and stayed for hours as the locals took us in as one of their own. We drank with them, ate with them, played with their puppies and FaceTimed their wives 😂. There was little English between us but a hell of a lot of laughs. 🥰 Swipe to see the train in action! #seevietnam #trainstreet #hanoitrainstreet

A post shared by TULIP (@_t_u_l_i_p_s_) on Oct 7, 2019 at 4:42pm PDT