輕松英語閱讀：火車軌道

When I was a kid, I used to love the sound of the train in the distance. The tracks were about a mile away from my home. The sound of the locomotive and the whistle blowing in the night was somehow relaxing.

Hanoi train 3

On the other hand, I don't think I would feel as romantic about the sound of trains, if I lived in the neighborhood in the video below. In the video, you can see a train passing mere centimeters from people's front doors. The train line is located in the heart of Vietnam's capital city, Hanoi. It passes through an area called the Old Quarter heading toward Long Bien Bridge.

The train comes rumbling through this old neighborhood twice a day: once at 4pm and once at 7pm. Even without a watch you know the train is coming when you see people putting away their things and going indoors. It is surprising that there aren't more accidents. Luckily, for the locals it passes through only twice a day.

Old Quarter Hanoi

The Old Quarter that the train passes through has a nearly 1,000-year-old history and is one of the top tourist attractions in the city. There, visitors can find many buildings hardly changed from the 15th century and shops specializing in traditional goods.