Train Street is a narrow street in Hanoi where a train passes through twice a day. The only way to get in is by accepting an invitation from a coffee shop owner standing at the entrance to get drinks or food at his/her shop on Train Street. If you try to walk in without an invitation, a security guard will blow his whistle and wave his arms and bar the entrance. Obey quickly or he will start shouting. We mostly avoided this and followed a nice guy to his shop halfway down the street. We sat and had tea while waiting for the train to come. Once it did, we were amazed at how a train could fit through such a small space between buildings. It was close enough to touch while standing on the balcony of the shop!
When we were finished, Oscar, Tate, and I started walking back towards the entrance, assuming the rest of the group would be following. We nearly reached the entrance before realizing they weren’t coming yet and then turned around to go back–which seemed well within the rules of Train Street. Immediately, the security guard blew his whistle and waved his arms, motioning for me not to go back (again, I was actually still in Train Street, just nearing the entrance/exit point). I wasn’t sure how to respond, so continued walking towards the rest of our families. After more blowing and waving, he chased me down and grabbed my wrist and tried pulling me back. Already, I could see that some people were watching. I started explaining to him that my family was down the street and we had already bought drinks. Finally, a European guy who spoke some Vietnamese came over and firmly told him to let me go. Whew!
My goodness, what an interesting street! Hard to believe people live and work so close to the train. I bet it was a bit scary to have that security guard trying to separate you from the rest of the family. I’m glad that other man came to intercede.
It was really frustrating! I’m also glad that the other guy helped out!
Delighted to see you all looking so well. Vietnam is one of my favorite places ❤️