Cao Thang Street - the first street in Vinh city.

National Highway 1, the section passing through Vinh City, was named Quang Trung Street. At the Vinh Market intersection, it turned left heading south, while the section connecting directly to Vinh Market is now known as Cao Thang Street. This street has been closely associated with Vinh Market since ancient times.

Cao Thang Street today. Photo: Quang An

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

In 1804, King Gia Long issued a decree ordering General Le Van Duyet to build fortifications and ramparts to move the administrative center of Nghe An from Lam Thanh - Phu Thach to Vinh. Accordingly, Vinh market was also upgraded from a village market of Ngo Truong district to a provincial market of Nghe An (including both Nghe An and Ha Tinh).

However, the issue is not the "administrative upgrade" of Vinh Market, but more importantly, after the administrative center of Nghe An was moved to Vinh, almost immediately hundreds of trading households, mostly of Chinese descent, also moved from Lam Thanh - Phu Thach to settle around Vinh Market to do business.

There are even documents suggesting that in Lam Thanh - Phu Thach, the Chinese established a "Guest Street," and when they moved to Vinh, that entire guest street relocated along the road from the North-South highway (later called National Highway 1) leading directly to Vinh Market. In addition, many other Chinese families also resided in the area surrounding Vinh Market, especially along the riverbank (now Le Hong Son Street). They created a "Chinese mini-culture" in this area, including the Ong Temple (Vo Mieu) and the Ba Temple (Thien Hau Cung), the Chinese Association, schools, and theaters run by the Chinese community. Historical records also state that in 1808, a fire in the Vinh Market area destroyed nearly 300 houses. This demonstrates that the area was very bustling at that time.

Thus, it can be said that Pho Khach (Guest Street) was the first street in Vinh as a city. Not only was it popularly known as Pho Khach, but some Vinh-Ben Thuy maps and early 20th-century postcards also noted the street's name as "Chinese Street" (Rue des Chinoise) or "Market Street" (Rue du Marche). When the streets of Vinh-Ben Thuy were officially named (around 1927), Pho Khach was given the name of a famous Governor-General of Indochina, Albert Sarrau.

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

However, besides this official name, in folklore, and even in advertisements for some shops here, it is still called "Guest Street". Currently, the street is named after Cao Thắng, a talented general in Phan Đình Phùng's rebellion.

After nearly 100 years since its founding in 1804, by the end of the 19th century, Vinh had taken shape as described in the 1901 book "General Overview of Annam": "Two years ago, Vinh became a real city with beautiful straight cobblestone streets, streets lined with shops owned by Chinese and Vietnamese merchants, and shops making handicrafts such as ironwork, embroidery, umbrellas, paper offerings, and trading in wood and bamboo."

The area where the Chinese community lives has many beautiful, tall houses with courtyards built of stone, all neatly arranged."[1]The "General Yearbook of Indochina" in 1901 also described Guest Street as follows: "Guest Street is an area consisting entirely of stone houses, narrow in width, deep in depth..."

The Chinese community mainly trades 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 steadily. This is because all the goods prepared for markets in the interior are concentrated in the provincial capital.[2]

The Vinh Market intersection, where the Guest Street begins. Photo: Tran Dinh Quan

From photographs taken before 1910, the image of the Guest Street in Vinh is indeed very similar to some old neighborhoods where the Chinese often resided in Hanoi or Hoi An. The street had almost no sidewalks, or the sidewalks were the doorsteps of houses, which were very narrow. The doors of the houses also served as shops.

In the early 20th century, until before the scorched-earth resistance in 1947, Pho Khach was the busiest commercial street in Vinh - Ben Thuy city. The writer Hoang Ngoc Anh, in his book "Truong Thi Workers' Hamlet," called Pho Khach "the Hang Dao Street of Nghe An province." Here, the city's most famous merchants and shops were concentrated. From the outside in, on the right were shops like Quang Phuc Hoa, specializing in bronze religious artifacts. Thuan Ky and Vinh Hung Tuong specialized in traditional Chinese medicine. The owner of Vinh Hung Tuong was also the famous journalist Pho Duc Thanh, editor-in-chief of the Thanh Nghe Tinh Tan Van newspaper.

Next is the Luc Ky shop, selling confectionery and groceries. Vinh Du sells gasoline; De Hop sells agricultural products; Quang Tien sells gold and silver… From inside out, on the right is the Quang Tho Xuong shop, selling groceries; then the shops of the Indian people mainly sell fabrics, the Black people specialize in selling silk; the Nhi Thien Duong shop sells confectionery....

At the corner, there was a shop called Lẹng Xẹng, which also specialized in selling confectionery. A large gold shop in Vinh, Bảo Nguyên, also had a store at the corner where Khách Street (Albert Sarrau Street) and Maréchal Pétain Street (now Phan Đình Phùng Street).

Besides the shops, at the corner of Guest Street and Maréchal Joffre Street (now Le Hong Son Street) there was also the Civil Court. In 1928, this court held a trial in absentia for Nguyen Ai Quoc and his comrades in the Revolutionary Youth League, in which Nguyen Ai Quoc was sentenced to death! Later, the Civil Court moved elsewhere, and the Vinh Hung Tuong shop bought the land. Currently, it houses the headquarters of the Vinh Market Management Board.

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

In addition, although not located directly on Guest Street, this area also has some notable cultural buildings, such as the Thai Mong Dai Traditional Opera House (the current location of the Fire Department), or the An Nam Cinema, west of the Civil Court...

Over the past 215 years, the old Khach Street, now Cao Thang Street, has retained its original location and alignment, although it has been significantly expanded. Compared to the past, the scenery on both sides of the street has changed dramatically. Nevertheless, it remains one of Vinh's busiest commercial streets. Choosing this street to open a night market was a wise decision.

However, on this street, I suggest that the city of Vinh should erect a commemorative plaque, featuring an image of this street from over 100 years ago, along with concise descriptions. I think it would be wonderful if the residents of Vinh who live, do business, and trade here, as well as tourists, knew that Cao Thang Street is a historical street, the first street of Vinh as a city! It would give us the impression that Vinh is not only very young, but also very ancient…

[1]According to the 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