Hanoi Five Gates Train is Vietnam’s new tourist attraction — but does it deliver the goods?

They are taking photos of us taking photos of them taking photos of us.

We are both the observer and the observed; the audience and the exhibit.

With lenses pointed at lenses, the effect is akin to a hall of mirrors. It’s very meta.

This is the bizarre experience of riding Hanoi’s newest tourist attraction, the Five Gates Train.

Launched late last year to coincide with the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s independence, the double-decker train is heralded as a moving tribute to the country’s cultural heritage, with carriages themed around Hanoi’s five historic city gates.

The journey trundles from the bustling capital’s main railway station to nearby Bac Ninh province and back, contrasting the chaos of the city with the unhurried rhythm of rural life.

The best bit, though, is the strange loop that bookends the round trip, when the train rattles along the century-old stretch of track affectionately known as Train Street.

Social media has made this narrow laneway a viral hit. Thousands of tourists flock to the area every day to feel the rush of adrenaline when a train hurtles through a thoroughfare barely wider than the sleepers that run down the middle.

Cafes and bars are crammed into spaces just centimetres from the line, and, with phones at the ready, brave punters capture the phenomenon, drawn to the razor-thin margin between risk and spectacle.

And the danger is real. Last year, a man was almost dragged under a moving train when he stumbled trying to film its motion. He was only just pulled out of harm’s way as the table he was sitting at was swept up and crushed.

This is one of a handful of incidents that has prompted the Vietnamese Government to call for the site to be shut down — but that has only deepened the intrigue.

I was fascinated by the intimacy of Train Street on a previous visit to Vietnam, but I hadn’t anticipated becoming part of the show.

Now I am peering out of the window on the Hanoi Five Gates Train in a weird vortex, a pane of glass all that separates me from the punters on the other side.

We are capturing it all on our cameras, the gaze mutual, and yet I feel compelled to up the theatrics so I wave excitedly to those with front-row seats to the action — after all, it’s usually cargo trains that use the passage at other times of day.

Admittedly, the rest of the ride is less of a thrill.

The carriages are beautifully designed and evoke a Wes Anderson-like charm with upholstered booth seating, rattan panels embedded with vintage artwork, intricately patterned tiles, and other quaint touches that speak to Vietnam’s design heritage.

On the top level, the curved glass roof offers expansive views of the city skyline and clouds beyond.

The details are impeccable — from the staff uniforms (just as kitsch as the interiors) to the welcome snack of sticky rice and lotus tea, and traditional music performances.

And yet something feels missing.

The storytelling aspect of the Five Gates Train is lost on us as the onboard narration is delivered exclusively in Vietnamese, with no translation readily available.

The experience would have been far richer if we had an access point to understand the significance of Hanoi’s ancient gates, or even had key sights highlighted as we passed them.

We encounter the same issue when we reach the designated stopover point, Tu Son in the Bac Ninh province, after about 40 minutes.

We’re ushered on to coaches at the station and taken to the Do Temple complex, an almost 1000-year-old site dedicated to the emperors of the Ly Dynasty.

Only none of this is clearly explained so we are left to wander in confusion for about two hours until we are taken back to the train.

With so much effort put into the aesthetics, I do wonder how such a crucial element can be overlooked when the service is clearly intended for tourists.

At least it finishes with a bang, because we pass through Train Street for the second time.

Now there are even more people shoulder-to-shoulder on benches and bursting from crevices in the channel, high on the anticipation of steel slicing past within touching distance.

And we are unwitting characters in this living postcard. So we surrender to our fate on the camera rolls of strangers from around the globe, and we wave.

+ Jessie Stoelwinder was a guest of BestPrice Travel. They have not influenced this story, or read it before publication.

Fact file

+ The Hanoi Five Gates train has two daily departures from Hanoi Railway Station: 8am and 1.30pm. The round trip lasts about 3½ hours, including the stopover in Tu Son.

+ Tickets are from VND 550,000 ($30), with children under six travelling for free. Discounts are available for seniors and children under 10.

+ Bookings via hanoitrain.vn