Nguyen Sy Sach Street: A spacious and airy streetscape.

(Baonghean) - The hustle and bustle of the busy streets doesn't dampen the pace, and the chaotic scene of new construction only reinforces the feeling that this street is increasingly proving its importance to inner-city traffic in Vinh City. That street is Nguyen Sy Sach Street…

Nguyen Sy Sach Street

It can be said that since the construction of the North Canal (in the 1960s) – the most important drainage project of Vinh city – the current Nguyen Sy Sach street has taken shape. The street is about two and a half kilometers long, running along the southern bank of the North Canal, starting from the Vinh Train Station intersection and down to the junction with Nguyen Phong Sac Street and the Post Office Bridge. Initially, the street was just the "base" of the North Canal, connecting small cross roads through dry rice fields, cemeteries, and sparsely populated areas of Hung Binh ward.

The initial development of Nguyen Sy Sach Street began from the Vinh Train Station intersection to the corner of the North Canal Bridge (where it intersects with Nguyen Van Cu Street), with the State Bank buildings on the north side and the Nghe An - Thinh Hoa Petroleum Company headquarters on the south side, built in the late 1980s. At that time, this section of the street already had two directions with four lanes, from which the current route was planned to extend straight down to Hung Loc. When residential areas were not yet densely populated, this was a quiet street, considered the last "echo" of the urban "wave" spreading from Vinh's inner city to the north, encompassing the former communes of Yen Dung and Nghi Phu. Gradually, with the planning of many new neighborhoods in Ha Huy Tap and parts of Nghi Phu and Hung Loc, small bridges crossing the North Canal connecting these residential areas to the city center, and new offices being built on the south side, Nguyen Sy Sach Street quickly became an important inner-city traffic route, bearing the entire burden of development in the northeastern part of Vinh City.

With numerous bank headquarters and offices located along the street, Nguyen Sy Sach Street is now considered the financial and banking district of Vinh. It's also one of the streets with many specialized businesses, especially in building materials, ranging from high-end furniture to bricks and tiles bearing the "Vietnamese earthenware" label, with two-thirds of the street's eastern section being developed rapidly. The wide road is a crucial thoroughfare, and street infrastructure is rapidly expanding. However, much of the street lacks sidewalks, creating an opportunity for Nguyen Sy Sach Street to be renovated and transformed into one of the most beautiful and romantic streets in Vinh City after the completion of the North Canal embankment project.

Being a street that received a relatively late influx of street-front residents compared to some other central streets, Nguyen Sy Sach Street boasts unique and innovative architectural moments in its buildings and villas, adding a surprising touch to certain corners. The street also features the city's first large-scale karaoke establishments with interiors heavily influenced by Arabian aesthetics. Visiting the street offers a fascinating contrast: the vibrant, modern music scene and lively dance clubs (like Avatar) alongside the efforts to preserve the traditional folk music of the Nghe An Folk Song Theater located on this street.

Nguyen Sy Sach Street is lined with tall buildings.

Because it plays a crucial role in the development of the northeastern part of the city, Nguyen Sy Sach Street boasts a vibrant market scene. In the mornings and afternoons, while the bustling Kenh Bac market stretches along a long northern section of the street, the southern section, where it intersects with Herman Street, is lined with numerous smaller markets, giving the impression that any small street corner could be a makeshift market. This market activity, which has existed for decades, might be considered a "problem" in terms of urban order, but for residents, it seems to be a "convenience for consumers," alongside the labor market, sidewalk barbershops, and cheap car washes, all of which help to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere of the street due to the Kenh Bac construction site and numerous small building projects underway.

In many other services such as small mechanical shops, grocery stores selling confectionery, fish sauce with the Van Phan and Cua Hoi signs, and even charcoal, coal, and Con Co animal feed... all are displayed in rows of low, simply constructed kiosks, originally on prime land belonging to state agencies that are being redeveloped and awaiting the start of new projects. All of this creates a sense of...The city is "forcing" some government agencies that used to be located on busy streets into increasingly hidden spaces; but these are also necessary "pauses" for the increasingly bustling city streets!

In terms of cuisine, Nguyen Sy Sach Street, a decade ago, was known for its affordable braised beef tendon stalls concentrated near Vinh Crossroads, catering to factory workers. Recently, that sidewalk space has been cleared by investors for new projects, such as Vinh's first conveyor belt hotpot restaurant, "Kichi Kichi" Hanoi, which closed less than a year after opening due to a lack of customers, perhaps because the food didn't suit local tastes. That's when beer stalls and dog meat vendors began to appear sporadically on the street, and now there's a boom in noodle, hotpot, offal porridge, and affordable rice dishes… and later, the addition of the Bun Do Trai brand. These establishments have developed to a certain extent, but each has its own loyal customer base.I'm familiar with traditional cooking methods, knowing how to bring out the delicious flavors of local food in a way that reflects its true characteristics.

The vibrant development along the southern side of Nguyen Sy Sach Street will undoubtedly undergo many changes in the future, given its role as one of the city's important inner-city arteries. However, these changes will certainly involve increasingly refined improvements, in keeping with the spacious environment, embracing nature, and creating a romantic streetscape in the reconstruction project of the North Canal, which is gradually shaping its cultural, historical, and environmental values.

Dinh Sam