A street in Hanoi, Vietnam, has become popular among tourists in recent years as a place to get the perfect selfie for Instagram. The famous street – dubbed “train street” – has a single railroad track with shops and cafes that sit dangerously close to the tracks. Hanoi train street Selfie ban

Built by former colonial rulers, the railway once shipped goods and people across France’s former Indochina colony and remains in use today by communist Vietnam’s state-run railway company.

The stretch of the tracks was once known as a rough part of town, occupied by drug users and squatters, until their recent discovery by camera-wielding holidaymakers who have posted images of the area across social media.

Reasons for Selfie Ban Hanoi train street Selfie ban

Cafe owners complained that business would be hurt by the new regulations, and that tourists always moved out of the way for oncoming trains.

In October 2019, a train had to make an emergency stop because too many tourists were on the tracks and would not move. As a result, the Hanoi municipal government is forcing the local businesses to close by October 12. and the selfie ban is on.

“Though the railway cafes attract tourists, they are, in fact, violating some regulations,” Vice Chairman of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism Ha Van Sieu said.

New signs were installed in the area, warning passersby not to take photos or videos in the “dangerous area”.

“People come from all over the world to Hanoi just to see the train go past,” said Harriet Hayes, a British tourist.