Ngo Thi Nham Street - A long street of memories

(Baonghean) -I thought that the streets were bustling and noisy, with no place for memories and contemplation, but the streets in Vinh are different. Vinh has peaceful streets, waiting for people to pass by. Ngo Thi Nham Street is such a street…

With a length of nearly 2km, Ngo Thi Nham Street more or less makes romantic cyclists enjoying the sunset scenery of mountains and rivers out of breath with many sharp turns and slopes. The road curves along Lam Giang, hugging the foot of Dung Quyet Mountain, leading to the Temple of Emperor Quang Trung - a famous historical and cultural relic near and far. That said, Ngo Thi Nham is not an unfamiliar street name among hundreds of large and small streets in Vinh city. However, when intentionally looking for a peaceful street corner to open their hearts, people rarely think of this shady street all year round.

Ngo Thi Nham Street.

In the past, the road was “reputed” to be deserted and deserted, easily discouraging many people who intended to pass by. Before leaving home, high school girls, in their long list of instructions, could not help but include the following: absolutely avoid wandering around the road around Quyết Mountain. Because the sparse population at that time led to many unfortunate consequences, or perhaps because the vast space of mountains and trees easily overwhelmed people’s minds. But now, the road that many people whispered to each other to avoid in the past, has been paved with smooth asphalt, electric lights strung across the houses that are close together and sturdy, and at night the bustling sounds of music and singing from the student dormitories still echo.

Who would have thought that the conditions that seemed unfavorable in the past would now become favorable? Ngo Thi Nham Street is currently among the most sought-after streets by students of Vinh University, because of its advantages of being close to the school, airy roads, and relatively spacious residential land area, so the landlords are often not too picky in building the rental rooms. Just like other long and short roads in Vinh City, Ngo Thi Nham Street has its own breath, shape, and a unique past and future. From all the streets, turning onto Ngo Thi Nham Street, suddenly you feel a strange sense of peace and serenity rising in your heart. The figures of mothers bending over to sweep leaves on the side of the road, the figures of children chasing each other in front of the porch, and the familiar and strange lines of cars... all have painted a picture of the street with a full range of vibrant colors. Amidst the rhythm of the city, Ngo Thi Nham Street seems to be one of the rare streets with few shops and services, with perhaps a few grocery stores serving the locals and students. Is that why, when the vendors selling afternoon snacks such as banh duc, banh ngot… walk slowly on Ngo Thi Nham Street, their cries seem to fly further and echo more loudly, linger longer, as if wanting to connect the vast and lonely space of the street?

How precious it is that in the heart of the city, there are still intimate streets like Ngo Thi Nham Street. The street has a bend hugging a stretch of Lam River, passing Ben Thuy Bar. Morning and evening, the street is familiar with the image of fishermen dropping their rods and waiting for fish. That rustic yet very urban feature gives Ngo Thi Nham Street a slow beat in the bustling rhythm of the city, a familiar place for many urbanites after the hustle and bustle of life.

Ngo Thi Nham Street is close to the footsteps of the urban people, and also very familiar to groups of visitors from all over. According to statistics, every year there are hundreds of thousands of visitors coming to worship the Temple of Emperor Quang Trung, so it is certainly not wrong that there are also as many visitors on Ngo Thi Nham Street. Whether by accident or on purpose, the name of the street leading to the historical - cultural relic associated with the majestic legend of the Phoenix of Trung Do was named Ngo Thi Nham. Turning back the golden pages of history, it is not difficult to find milestones of people's names, brilliant historical marks associated with Emperor Quang Trung Nguyen Hue and Minister of Personnel Ngo Thi Nham. Two talented people met in the midst of war and chaos, together they played a famous harmony in the history books of Vietnam in the past. That bond still exists today, reminding generations of children and grandchildren, when walking on the simple streets of the city, to remind themselves to have dignified and steady steps, so as never to be ashamed of their ancestors.

Phuong Chi