The Train Street

Between train tracks, local cafés, and new flavors

📍Hanoi, Vietnam

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Another day off has arrived. It's funny that I call it a day off, when it's really just a workday outside. Maybe I should start calling it simply an "outside day." Because after a few days of staying home to work, I feel like I need to go out a bit, see people, see the world. That's why I came all this way, after all.

This time, I remembered that I hadn't yet been to the famous Train Street, so that was my first stop. I searched on Google and found tons of cafes located right on the tracks, but one in particular caught my eye - a cat cafe!

After seeing the comment "a great place to see the train without all the tourist commotion" in the reviews, I knew it was exactly the place for me.

I ordered a Grab motorbike directly to its location, and the moment I stepped onto the train tracks, a harsh ringing sound started.

"The train is coming! Hurry, hurry!" Everyone started rushing around, and I sat down in the first cafe I saw.

It turns out that this bell warns a good few minutes before the train arrives, but the business owners know their job well and "hurry" you to sit in their cafe. There were indeed only a handful of people around, and the other cafes looked completely empty. Maybe it's because it's Monday morning, or maybe it's just luck.

After a few minutes, the train arrived and sped by. It is as cool as everyone says, and I realized I was very lucky because the next train wouldn't be until 2 PM, and I happened to arrive just in time for the morning one. Train times vary, so you need to check when it arrives - I just showed up and got lucky.

After finishing my salted coffee (yes, and it's amazing!), I continued wandering down the street, taking photos and being photographed, and kept strolling. I was looking for a simple breakfast of eggs and bread, and found a cafe a few minutes' walk away that looked nice to me.

When I pointed at a fried egg sandwich on the menu, I didn't know it would arrive dripping with oil. I ate it anyway.

I moved on to another cafe, this time with clear requirements - internet connection and air conditioning. Time to do some work.

I found a great cafe! Where all the Western dishes look amazing! And very cheap too! I stayed there to work for a few hours, this time with coconut coffee, until lunchtime came and I treated myself to an avocado toast with fried eggs. A winning meal.

Vietnam's coffee culture fascinates me. They take their coffee seriously, and you can find cafes specializing in different styles on every corner. Everyone here praises Vietnamese coffee beans, and they truly are excellent.

I think about all the coffee experts I met during my years as a barista, and I'm sure they would be ecstatic here.

I'm not an expert on beans myself, I just like trying new flavors, and when it comes to coffee - sweet and strong is great.

Here in Vietnam, beyond the traditional egg coffee, coconut coffee and salted coffee are integral parts of the menu. When I order coffee, and when possible, I peek at the barista to see exactly how they create this magic.

Salted coffee, well, it's not complicated, they simply add a pinch of salt, and just like in baking - it enhances and strengthens the flavors, both of the coffee and its sweetness.

As for coconut coffee - they add coconut emulsion, and usually whip the coffee with condensed milk, resulting in a thick and heavy liquid that is, of course, sweet.

My next mission was to buy new flip-flops, because after returning from the Loop tour, I noticed that they, and the sports shoes I bought for ₪10 on Temu, had disappeared.

I wanted to replace the flip-flops anyway because they were already damaged. I used the closed shoes for the first time on the Loop, so maybe I don't need them.

I put each of them in a bag in the outer compartments of my backpack, where water bottles are usually kept, so it was easy to simply "take" them. Still, I don't like the feeling that someone touched my things.

I once heard about people who had things stolen during long bus rides, and it makes sense when you stop for a half-hour break and leave your things on the bus unattended. I always keep the truly important things on me in a pouch, so everything else is replaceable, and as long as it's just property damage, so be it. If those people need shoes that badly, maybe they should have them.

It started to rain, and I found myself sitting on a covered bench, staring at what was happening around me, at people running from taxis to hotels, at locals riding motorbikes and bicycles with rain gear, acting normally because this is probably normal for them.

Suddenly, a woman selling umbrellas and rain ponchos passed by. Genius! I thought to myself.

Seizing opportunities - solving an immediate problem. How smart, how simple.

It amuses me that I look at simple things from a business and profit perspective. Is this what happens when you start thinking as an independent business?

You look for all the ways to generate income, see how others do it, and seek inspiration? Or maybe it's just any mature person who understands that we live in a capitalist society, and money is much more than just a means?

Your support helps me to continue experiencing new worlds and sharing them with you through my words. Sometimes, a single cup of coffee can make a difference.

Thank you for being part of this journey.