The Hà Nội Train Street, closed last month over safety concerns, has been named as a Top 8 destination that experienced over-tourism in the last decade, according to the US travel magazine Insider. VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI The Hà Nội Train Street, closed last month over safety concerns, is listed among the Top 8 destinations that were over-touristed in the last decade.

US travel magazine Insider, which compiled the list of over-touristed sites, said the railway was built in the Vietnamese city in 1902 by the French. Over the years, cafes cropped up alongside the tracks, but before social media, it was more of a hidden gem than a tourist destination.

The Train Street is formed by railway tracks running alongside Điện Biên Phủ and Phùng Hưng streets in the heart of the Hà Nội’s Old Quarter, with residential buildings just a few feet away on either side.

With the advent of social media, especially Instagram, the street became a global hit, attracting hordes of selfie hunters, Insider said. The boom in visits prompted the Vietnamese government to close down the cafés along the Train Street and prevent the entry of tourists, with barriers set up at junctions. VNS