This is the dramatic moment a speeding train hit a truck carrying pipes while it was stuck on a level crossing in Vietnam.

The 12-carriage train slammed into the lorry in Hanoi's Thuong Tin District on January 28 at 9:24 am local time.

The level crossing barriers were up when the trailer had made a turn. However, its size made it difficult to manoeuvre through the junction.

The driver finally managed to steer the vehicle past the tracks, but not in time to avoid the approaching locomotive.

Security footage shows how the trailer struggled to move across the railroad for more than a minute before the train ploughed into it, strewing steel pipes on the ground.

Local media reported that a railway guard had been stationed at the crossing, but failed to inform the train operator to stop.

The crossing guard was injured and taken to the hospital, while the train sustained heavy damage and was replaced.

The crash had caused a 2.5-hour delay, with the trip resuming at 12 noon.

A Vietnam Railways Corporation official said: 'The watcher might have been inexperienced, so she did not inform the train to stop in time.'

Hanoi authorities are now requesting to install warning signs at the crossing, and more tests for railway workers to prevent similar accidents from happening.