Cao Thang Street - the first street of Vinh city

National Highway 1 through Vinh city is named Quang Trung street. At Vinh market intersection, turn left to the South. The connecting section that goes straight to Vinh market is the street named Cao Thang today. This street has been associated with Vinh market since ancient times.

Cao Thang Street today. Photo: Quang An

History records that: Until the end of the 18th century, the provincial capital of Nghe An was still located in Lam Thanh - Phu Thach (now Hung Nguyen). Although at that time Vinh market was quite busy and famous, it was still only a rural market, not a provincial market.

In 1804, King Gia Long issued an edict to the Left General Le Van Duyet to build a citadel and ramparts to move the Nghe An provincial capital from Lam Thanh - Phu Thach to Vinh. Accordingly, Vinh market was also upgraded from a village market, a commune market of Ngo Truong commune, to a town market of Nghe An (including Nghe An and Ha Tinh).

However, the problem is not the "administrative upgrade" of Vinh market, but more importantly, after the headquarters of Nghe An was moved to Vinh, almost immediately hundreds of trading households, most of whom were Chinese, also moved from Lam Thanh - Phu Thach to live around Vinh market area to do business and trade.

There are even documents stating that: In Lam Thanh - Phu Thach, the Chinese established the Guest Street, when moving to Vinh, the whole Guest Street also moved to live on the road from the North - South highway (later called National Highway 1) running straight to Vinh market. In addition, many other Chinese families also resided in the area around Vinh market, especially along the riverbank (now Le Hong Son street). They created a "Chinese subculture" in this area, including the Ong Temple (Vo Mieu) and the Ba Temple (Thien Hau Cung), the Chinese Assembly Hall, schools, Chinese theaters... History books also recorded: In 1808, a fire in the Vinh market area burned down nearly 300 houses. This proves that this area was very bustling at that time.

Thus, it can be said that Pho Khach is the first street of Vinh, as a city. Not only is it called Pho Khach by the people, but on some maps of Vinh - Ben Thuy, or postcards in the early 20th century, the street name is also noted as "Pho Trung Hoa" (Rue des Chinoise), or Pho Cho (Rue du Marche). When the streets of Vinh - Ben Thuy were named (around 1927), Pho Khach was named after a famous Governor General of Indochina, Albert Sarrau.

Guest Street in the early 20th century. Photo: P. Dieuleffils

However, besides this official name, among the people, even on advertisements for some shops here, people still call it Guest Street. Currently, the street is named after Cao Thang, a talented general in the uprising of Phan Dinh Phung.

After nearly 100 years, since its birth in 1804, by the end of the 19th century, Pho Khach had taken shape as described in the book "General Overview of An Nam" in 1901: "Two years ago, Vinh had become a real city with beautiful straight cobblestone streets, streets with many Chinese and Vietnamese shops and handicraft shops, such as ironware, embroidery, parasol making, paper making, and wood and bamboo trading.

The Chinese area has many beautiful tall buildings and stone courtyards close together.[1]. The 1901 “General Yearbook of Indochina” also described the Guest Street as follows: “The Guest Street is an area consisting of stone houses, narrow shops, deep houses…

The Chinese mainly trade with their fellow countrymen in Nam Dinh. They are not scattered throughout the province but are concentrated in Vinh. The Chinese population here is growing day by day. The reason for this phenomenon is because the goods prepared in the inland markets are all concentrated in the provincial capital.[2]

Vinh market intersection, where Guest Street begins. Photo: Tran Dinh Quan

Through photos taken before 1910, the image of Vinh's Guest Street is indeed very similar to some old quarters where Chinese people often reside in Hanoi or Hoi An. The street has almost no sidewalks, or the sidewalks are also the house steps, very narrow. The house doors are also the shops.

In the early years of the 20th century, until the Scorched Earth Resistance War in 1947, Pho Khach was the busiest commercial street in Vinh - Ben Thuy city. Writer Hoang Ngoc Anh in his book "Xom Tho Truong Thi" called Pho Khach "Hang Dao Street of Nghe province". Here gathered the most famous merchants and shops of the city. From the outside, on the right hand side there are shops such as Quang Phuc Hoa specializing in bronze worship items. Thuan Ky and Vinh Hung Tuong stores specializing in traditional medicine. The owner of Vinh Hung Tuong is also the famous journalist Pho Duc Thanh, editor-in-chief of Thanh Nghe Tinh Tan Van newspaper.

Next is Luc Ky shop, selling candy and groceries. Vinh Du sells gasoline; De Hop sells agricultural products; Quang Tien sells gold and silver... From inside, on the right hand side is Quang Tho Xuong shop, selling groceries; next are Indian shops mainly selling fabrics, Black Western shops specializing in silk; Nhi Thien Duong shop selling candy...

At the corner of the street was a shop called Leng Xeng, which also specialized in selling sweets. A large gold shop in Vinh, Bao Nguyen, also had a shop at the corner where Guest Street (Albert Sarrau Street) and Maréchal Pétain Street (now Phan Dinh Phung Street) intersected.

Not only were there shops, at the corner of Pho Khach and Maréchal Joffre streets (today's Le Hong Son street) there was also a Civil Court. In 1928, this court held a trial in absentia of Nguyen Ai Quoc and his comrades in the Revolutionary Youth Association, in which Nguyen Ai Quoc was sentenced to death! Later, the Civil Court moved to another location, and Vinh Hung Tuong shop bought this land. Currently, it is the headquarters of Vinh Market Management Board.

Civil Court (Current location of Vinh Market Management Board). Photo: Tran Dinh Quan

In addition, although not located on Pho Khach Street, this area also has some notable cultural works, such as Thai Mong Dai Tuong Theater (current location of the Fire Prevention and Fighting Department), or An Nam Cinema, west of the Civil Court...

After 215 years, the old Guest Street, Cao Thang still retains its original location and direction, but has been greatly expanded. Compared to the past, the scenery on both sides of the street has changed dramatically. However, this is still the busiest commercial street in Vinh. Choosing this street to open a night market was the right choice.

However, on this street, I suggest that Vinh city should erect a monument, on which there is an image of this street more than 100 years ago, along with concise lines introducing it. I think, if Vinh residents living, doing business and trading here, as well as tourists coming here all know that Cao Thang is a historical street, the first street of Vinh, as a city, how interesting it would be! It would give us an impression that Vinh is not only very young, but also very old...

[1]According to History of Vinh City, volume I, Nghe An Publishing House, page 70.

[2]According to Chu Trong Huyen, History of Hong Son Ward, Nghe An Publishing House, 1993