On an Old Quarter thoroughfare of Hanoi, known as train street, locomotives rumble down an active track just inches away from homes and other buildings. The juxtaposition of train tracks and residential housing has made it hugely popular among travelers to the capital of Vietnam.
But the municipal government of Hanoi has ordered that cafes alongside the heavily Instagrammed train tracks – which sprung up to cater to the tourism boom – must close. Authorities cite danger to human life as the primary motivator for the shutdown. The boiling point apparently came on Sunday, when a train traveling through Hanoi was forced to re-route because there were too many tourists on the tracks, which were built in 1902 by the French.
“Though the railway cafes attract tourists, they are, in fact, violating some regulations,” Ha Van Sieu, vice chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, told reporters at a press briefing.
In 2018, Vietnam-based writer Dave Fox told CNN Travel that “overtourism is a new buzzword for something that has been going on a long time.” A longtime Hanoi resident, he watched as “train street” transformed from a cool novelty into a safety concern. “Travelers need to be mindful of optics,” he added.
When it comes to overtourism, some destinations face more of a challenge than others.In Indonesia, moves have been made to greatly restrict traveler access to Komodo Island, home to the famous Komodo dragon. Initially, the country had considered shutting the island to tourists completely, but settled on a plan with limited access to visitors who could pay a high access fee.
And nearby in Thailand, the heavily popular Maya Bay, made famous by the film “The Beach” has been closed since 2018 to repair the most severe outcome – environmental damage.
(Adapted from “Hanoi to shut down ‘train street’ cafes” by Michael Sugrue – CNN Travel)
Which of the following statements about ‘train street’ is NOT true?
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