Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh has assigned the Ministry of Transport and the Hanoi People’s Committee to consider the railway café owners’ petition to lift the ban on the café business along the stretch of the Old Quarter train track.

Foreign tourists snap photos of the train running on the railway along Hanoi's Old Quarter.

Accordingly, the consideration must be made according to the existing regulations to ensure absolute railway order and safety.

The deputy prime minister also demanded relevant agencies to study long-term solutions for moving and relocating households who are living and doing business along the railway corridor to ensure the railway safety as well as the locals’ long-term living and business activities.

The assignment was made after the coffee shop owners asked for authorization from the Hanoi government to resume their businesses with safety measures taken including installing loudspeakers, warning signs and barriers to prevent visitors from wandering on the track.

Before the closing, visitors were usually seen wandering on the track to drink coffee and snap photos, posing risks of accidents and preventing the maintenance of the railway. Moreover, their presence on the track slowed the train down considerably.

As a result, Hanoi has closed down all cafes and photo settings along both sides of the railway stretch running through the Old Quarter before the deadline of October 12 at the request of the Ministry of Transport to ensure safety and enforce traffic regulations.