HCMC – The Vietnam Railway Authority has requested shutting down selfie spots and makeshift cafes along the railway in the north of the Hanoi railway station for the second time, citing overtourism and safety concerns.
Vietnam Railways Corporation wrote to the Hanoi People’s Committee on September 12 reporting the situation of the makeshift cafes encroaching on the railway in the wards of Hang Bong, Cua Nam and Dien Bien Phu.
The People’s Committee of Ba Dinh and Hoan Kiem Districts have been urged to immediately suspend the illegal trading there and warn people against gathering on the railway.
In recent years, makeshift cafes and selfie spots have sprung up just inches from the Hanoi-Dong Dang railway track to serve tourists, posing safety concerns for the visitors, especially when the trains run through, according to the local authority.
Hanoi authorities already took coercive measures and imposed administrative sanctions to settle down the situation, even requesting the illegal trackside cafes to shut down.
In 2019, some regulations were issued to ban railway encroachment and prevent citizens and visitors from sitting and snapping selfies on the railway due to the potential risks of railway traffic insecurity.
All the trackside cafes had to sign a commitment to ensuring the visitor’s safety and not encroaching on the railway.
However, many trackside cafes quietly reopened after the Covid-19 pandemic, reattracting many tourists to check in and take photos.
