Hanoi's ‘Train Street’ becomes a selfie hotspot

Gone are the days when considerate travelers would step aside to avoid spoiling someone’s vacation shot – now, the focus is on not stepping into the frame and ruining someone's perfect selfie.

Few locations showcase selfie culture as vividly as Hanoi, Vietnam, where the fusion of old-world charm and modernity creates an ideal backdrop for photos. The city’s ‘selfie street’ runs through the Old Quarter, along train tracks originally laid by the French.

While selfie enthusiasts sometimes irritate locals by blocking the sidewalk for the perfect shot, there's a more serious concern in Hanoi – the train tracks remain active, posing a danger to anyone who isn’t cautious when walking on or near them.

Many Hanoi residents, who know the train schedule by heart, often warn tourists about the trains, helping them avoid potential accidents while they focus on their photography.

“It was pretty quiet when we visited, since it was early morning,” says Instagrammer Christabel, recalling her trip to ‘train street,’ where she shared several photos on October 29. “The locals were really friendly and they even gave us a heads-up about the train schedule as we walked by.”

Christabel is just one of thousands who have posted photos from Hanoi's ‘train street.’

Some people have become so fixated on finding the perfect Instagram-worthy spot that they’ve hired professional photographers to follow them, or even trekked to remote locations, all for that perfect shot, giving rise to the saying, “do it for the ‘gram.”

A quick social media search reveals photos of visitors sitting, running, jumping, dancing, kissing, pretending to trip, and even planking along the tracks. Very few show an actual train passing by.

Dave Fox, a writer and coach based in Vietnam, has witnessed once-exclusive spots like ‘train street’ becoming overrun in the age of social media. He first visited the street in 2010 and feels disheartened to see it now being “overrun” by tourists.

He’s recently been hearing about tourists making a game of standing on the tracks as long as they can, only jumping off at the last moment as the train arrives – all while recording with a camera or GoPro.

“Overtourism is a new buzzword for a long-standing issue,” Fox tells Dinogo Travel.

While selfies are one thing, he’s also concerned about what he calls “smash-and-grab” photography – taking a quick photo of a local and rushing off to the next attraction.

“Travelers should be mindful of how they’re perceived,” he says. “It’s okay to take someone’s photo, but always ask first – most people in Vietnam are friendly. Remember to treat others like people, not objects in a museum.”

Fox follows a simple rule: how would you feel if it were happening to you? He urges travelers to put themselves in the shoes of the locals and consider how they’d react if a stranger suddenly took their picture without asking.

While many local Vietnamese residents living near ‘train street’ are understanding of tourists who travel from all over the world to capture their photo, not every place shares this tolerance.

Tourism hotspots around the globe, from Venice to New Orleans, are grappling with overtourism. While selfie culture is not the sole cause, it certainly contributes as destinations try to manage the influx of visitors while also benefiting from the free publicity some stunning Instagram shots bring.

The Instagram “save” button, introduced in 2018, was designed to help users bookmark places they wanted to visit for their own travels and photo opportunities.

“Suddenly, a once-hidden waterfall, barely known to anyone, becomes a hotspot – all because a celebrity posted about it or it was featured in a popular TV show. You can see the same thing happening with locations showcased in 'Game of Thrones,'” says María Reynisdóttir from Iceland’s Department of Tourism.

She adds, “And then, before you know it, hordes of visitors start arriving, but the site isn’t equipped to handle the crowds. So, the response has to be quick, but that’s not always possible.”