Take a sip... of the train track coffee.

*Eagerly watching the train pass by. Photo: Xuan Ha*

Before taking me to the train track cafe, my friend carefully researched the train schedule passing through the Phung Hung - Tran Phu area (formerly Hoan Kiem district). He said that to fully experience the train track cafe, you have to know how to wait and be patient. Each passing train is a unique slice of Hanoi .

A few low tables were placed against the wall, with plastic chairs crammed together. Coffee dripped slowly from a small filter, its aroma mingling with the musty smell of the railway tracks and the old neighborhood.

The cafes were packed with tourists, mostly foreigners. Some sipped coffee, others ordered other drinks. Notably, Hanoi beer – a seemingly unrelated beverage – was perfectly suited to the cold winter weather and the nostalgic atmosphere of the place.

What caught my attention were the beer bottle caps that tourists carefully placed on the railway tracks. Watching them wait, they seemed as eager as children about to witness a fun childhood game. "Souvenir," one tourist said with a smile, explaining that they wanted to take home a very personal piece of Hanoi's memory.

Then the loudspeaker blared, steady but firm, announcing the approaching train. My friend, originally from Hanoi, gently reminded me to stand up and move further inside.

For him, it was a familiar reflex of someone who had witnessed this road's existence for decades, where everyday life always had to give way to the railway tracks whenever a train arrived.

The shop owner reminded everyone to stand up, move their chairs, and step back, maintaining a safe distance. The small street suddenly became bustling with the laughter and chatter of tourists. Everyone stood pressed against the wall, more than a meter away from the tracks. The distance was safe enough, but still close enough to be within reach of lightly touching each passing train carriage.

*The bottle caps were placed on the railway tracks to await being run over by trains, becoming precious souvenirs. Photo: Tan Chau*

The train appeared, and a security guard woman holding a flag stood by the side of the carriage door, the warm yellow headlights casting a bright line in the winter night. The sound of the iron wheels scraping against the tracks echoed in the cramped space as the train slowly passed, carrying with it the emotions of those waiting.

Just a few brief seconds, but enough to make hearts race, enough to leave people mesmerized.

I was fortunate enough to experience three train journeys that winter night. My friend told me that this railway line was built by the French in the early 20th century, connecting Hanoi station with the area north of the Red River. At that time, the houses on either side were sparse.

Over the years, streets sprang up, people settled along the railway tracks, and eventually the train became an inseparable part of urban life.

Each train journey evoked different emotions: the first was a mix of unfamiliarity and excitement; the second was more familiar but still enjoyable; and by the final journey, as the city grew late and the cold deepened, the feeling of nostalgia became more pronounced than ever.

*A section of the street is known as the "Railway Street Cafe." Photo: Xuan Ha.*

The creaking, rumbling sounds faded into the distance, the beer bottle caps flattened into perfect circles, bearing the imprint of the metal wheels. Tourists picked them up, cherishing them like precious gifts. For them, it wasn't just a Hanoi beer bottle cap with its distinctive aroma, but a very different moment – a moment of being immersed in the daily life of Hanoi, touching upon a bygone era rarely preserved elsewhere.

Looking at the faces of the people, a mixture of excitement and anticipation, my friend from Hanoi slowly explained that it wasn't until about a decade ago, when images of trains running close to people's homes spread on social media, that this 300-400 meter stretch of road became a unique tourist destination.

From a purely residential space, it has entered the tourist map – as a vivid memory of old Hanoi. For international tourists, the railway-side cafe is not simply a check-in point. It's a feeling of touching the past, where colonial-era railways still meander through residential areas, where old life and infrastructure coexist peacefully, evoking a sense of nostalgia.

As the train passed, everyone sat down again, finishing their last drops of coffee, their beer still cold in their hands, and the small street returned to its original rhythm. But the lingering feeling remained, with the sound of the night train and the faint aroma of coffee in the evening mist...

Source: https://baodanang.vn/nhap-ngum-ca-phe-duong-tau-3318203.html