Hanoi closes Railway Trackside Cafes because of safety reasons

The authorities have decided to close down several cafes close to railway tracks in the capital of Vietnam, Hanoi citing safety reasons. These cafes had the perfect frame all photo lovers would want to have in their collection. It has vintage railway tracks passing by the backstreets where the tourists or customers sat down having their drinks with just a few inches away from the slowly moving trains. The administration of the city has set up a deadline to shut down the cafe by the weekend. 

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Tourists loved these cafes

While speaking to a foreign news agency, a tourist who frequently visits such cafes said that she loves them totally as she has never been to something that is so different from others. She then said that at the same time, she also understands the reason why the officials have decided to shut down the cafe as they are quite dangerous in safety terms. The Vietnamese capital is popular is for the centuries-old architecture it has as well as the rich culture with Southeast Asian, Chinese and French influences. In the past few months, a lot of tourists assembled alongside the railway tracks to click selfies as soon as a train passes or at the trackside cafes.

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Cafes being shut down due to safety reasons

The railways in northern provinces of Vietnam were built in the year 1902 by the French rule. They usually transfer passengers and even cargo items mainly between Hanoi to Haiphong and Hanoi to Lang Son, Lao Cai. It still has a traditional French narrow gauge which made the North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un stop at the border and travel by a car while he was on his way to meet the US President Donald Trump for a summit. The railway tracks pass by houses and shops in Hanoi while also covering the crowded areas of the city. There are vendors who set up their stalls on the railway tracks and some visitors also sit on the tracks in their leisure time. On October 6, a train that left Hanoi railway station had to stop in an emergency to avoid hurting the crowd of tourists trackside according to the state media. This is when the authorities decided to remove all the lounges and safes that are near the tracks. 

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(With inputs from Agencies)