Need to return the correct name of Le Ninh street

(Baonghean) - In February 2012, we published an article titled “Need to return the correct name of Le Ninh Street” in Nghe An Newspaper, reflecting on the fact that Le Ninh Street was misspelled as Le Ninh Street on the street name sign. After the newspaper published the article, the Provincial People’s Committee directed that the street name sign be corrected, but the entire street, residents, agencies and businesses still used the name Le Ninh.

Le Ninh Street is located in Le Loi Ward, Dong Vinh Ward and Hung Dong Commune, starting point is Vinh station gate, ending at Quan Banh intersection, intersecting with Tran Hung Dao and Phan Boi Chau Streets, 3,000 m long, 16 m wide road surface. Le Ninh (1857 - 1887), from Trung Le, Duc Tho, Ha Tinh, was the first person in Nghe Tinh to lead the uprising in response to the Can Vuong edict of Emperor Ham Nghi, later became a general participating in the Huong Khe uprising under the command of leader Phan Dinh Phung.

Due to carelessness, after the street was named and the sign was erected, the authorities misspelled it as Le Ninh. Therefore, people living nearby have long been familiar with this misspelled name. Since February 2012, the street name sign has been changed to Le Ninh, but people still call it by its old name, Le Ninh. Up to now, an entire street, the names of restaurants and businesses all have the name of Le Ninh street. Some state agencies and businesses still have the street address Le Ninh, such as the Construction Materials and Construction Production Enterprise of Vietnam Railways; Nghe Tinh Railway Management Company; Vinh Transport Hospital. There is even a restaurant right in front of Vinh station named Le Ninh restaurant (number 01). We asked some people and taxi drivers about the person named after the street, everyone confirmed that the street name is "Le Ninh", and did not understand what this name means.

Using famous people's names to name streets is to honor famous people, and at the same time educate the people about patriotism and cultural traditions. Therefore, it is regrettable that people do not understand and call the street names incorrectly. We respectfully request the functional agencies of Vinh City and the People's Committees of wards and communes where Le Ninh Street passes through to find solutions to correct this rare phenomenon of using the wrong street name. First of all, it is necessary to conduct propaganda and explain to all classes of people about the meaning of street names; request agencies and businesses to adjust the content of the address of the agency and headquarters from Le Ninh to Le Ninh; mobilize people and business households to adjust the signs and billboards to write the street names correctly.

Tran Quang Dai

(Nghe An Culture Magazine)