Doan Nhu Hai Street - A poetic moment

(Baonghean) - It is also a poetic experience to come to the rustic inner-city road of Vinh city on chilly days, after the first rain of winter like this. Driving slowly, admiring the rows of areca and coconut trees that paint the landscape against the blue sky, breathing in the first cold air of the season, feeling relaxed and forgetting all the hustle and bustle...

A corner of Doan Nhu Hai street.

Like many other inter-block roads, Doan Nhu Hai Street is less than 1 km long, only 4 m wide, easily recognizable at the entrance to the road intersection with Nguyen Thai Hoc main road. The road is located in Le Loi ward, newly formed and expanded for nearly 30 years. In the minds of the old generation, before, this was an area of ​​rice fields, ponds, and agricultural livelihoods of hundreds of people living around this area. Later, the process of inner-city development boldly erased the rural features that were no longer suitable for the new era, creating Doan Nhu Hai Street full of poetry in the new rhythm of today's streets.

That poetry comes from unexpected simplicity that one would never think one could find on a street in the middle of a young city. There are bunches of bananas, full of golden yellow, heavy on green trunks, hidden in the low fence of a red-tiled house; sometimes one sees a young rooster loudly flapping its wings, showing that it is the owner of the garden... Then there is the scene of a hammock swinging on the porch, a peaceful place for grandparents and grandchildren every afternoon. The road is narrow but has many green trees spreading out from two rows of houses opposite, and there is also a vegetable garden and a few fruit trees. Being right on the street but feeling like being in the countryside, one's heart is filled with purity and love for a small poetic road.

In no time, there were two rows of grocery stores neatly displayed in the yard, selling all kinds of things, practically serving the people of the street. The grocery store at the beginning of the street belongs to Ms. Phan Thi Thuy. She said that she has been a daughter-in-law for decades, since the time when this area was mostly rice fields and a few ponds of water spinach. In 1989 and 1990, the city had a policy of leveling the fields, encouraging people to gradually move to the street to live. The land where Ms. Thuy lives now is originally also rice fields. And Doan Nhu Hai Street, according to her not-so-distant memory, in those years, was covered with bamboo and overgrown with wild grass. The street was just a small path that people walked on until they got used to it, and later people cleared it to build houses. Time has passed, turning the wasteland into a bustling and crowded city like now.

The class of people living on this street, originally farmers, workers, and common laborers from the wharves and train stations in the past, now, although they have put on the appearance of people facing the street, still exude a rough, noisy, and honest look. The street is narrow, two rows of houses facing each other, this side of the street belongs to Block 9, the other side is Block 10, Le Loi Ward. That administrative boundary division seems to only have meaning on paper, but every day, the neighborhood life is still warm and united. Even though every house has its gate locked, the stove on this side is red with the aroma of braised fish, they have to be brought over to invite each other to have a small bowl. Then there are joys, celebrations, festivals, in addition to the block and ward events that sometimes have different times, but the inter-family groups spontaneously form, the houses on both sides of the street rush over to contribute their labor and money, the whole street is filled with excitement and joy.

Pho Mo Restaurant - culinary highlight on Doan Nhu Hai street.

In fact, many people in Vinh, especially the young, when mentioning the name Doan Nhu Hai Street, hardly anyone seems familiar. However, if we suggest a little more, that on that street, there is a romantic Pho Mo restaurant, specializing in rustic cuisine from four regions, 9 out of 10 people will exclaim, "What's so strange about that!". Pho Mo has only been located on this street for a year, but has quickly been "elected" as the highlight of the humble street in the heart of the city, because of the unique architecture of the restaurant, the decoration style in the style of Hoi An ancient town and the diverse dishes from Hanoi vermicelli with fermented shrimp paste, Nam Dan veal sausage, braised stomach with pepper in the Central region... to hot pots made with ingredients ranging from luxurious to common. This season, when the weather is a little drizzly or cold, driving past the street, you certainly cannot resist the alluring flavors of the most popular hot pots in Pho Mo. The owner of this restaurant is also a very talented person. Likes to grow orchids, loves backpacking, loves to hang out with friends, his right-hand job is a professional staff of the General Business Center of Nghe An Petroleum Company, but then somehow stumbled into the culinary business - just hearing about it sounds "unfair". This guy also has very specific business criteria, that he wants to have a chain of restaurants where young people can learn more about history, the elderly come to have a nostalgic space, 9X people still confidently come to the restaurant for only 100 thousand VND, and rich people spend money to eat rustic dishes without losing their class! That business criterion is really bold, as bold as his initial decision when opening this restaurant on Doan Nhu Hai street. He also admitted that it was risky, because the street is small, hidden, not a specialized street but on the contrary, located in a residential area mostly for retirees. After a year, the risk paid off, and Pho Mo is still firmly on the road, becoming a dreamy, elegant highlight not only for travelers but also for "native" residents.

The best thing about this street is the night view. The street has been equipped with a lighting system by the locals, so it is absolutely clean and secure. The street changes its appearance through the four seasons, but it remains faithful to its quiet and peaceful beauty, whether it is filled with the moonlight of the crescent moon in summer, or the illusionary mist of autumn, or the harsh north wind of winter... I once sat on the second floor of Pho Mo, admiring that small street and immersing myself in the beautiful and sacred memories of the shop owner: on New Year's Eve that year, both rows of houses on the other side of the street were lit with sparkling candles, and the outdoor New Year's Eve altar was solemnly placed with a picture of Uncle Ho. Lighting an incense stick and mumbling prayers, then looking down at the small street below, I felt filled with a warm and intimate attachment as if it had become an indispensable part of my life's journey...

Phuong Chi