Tuệ Tĩnh Street - Green Corner

(Baonghean) - Among the streets of Vinh City, some have their own unique characteristics. Some streets, just by reading their names, seem to perfectly match the scenery, the people, and the distinctive activities of the street. With the gentle sunshine and the capricious autumn rain, walking down these streets signals the arrival of autumn, evoking nostalgia and a sense of longing… Come and leisurely experience the green hues of the streets along Tuệ Tĩnh Street...

Tuệ Tĩnh Street

First, it's worth mentioning that this street houses the Nghe An Traditional Medicine Hospital. Then, numerous pharmacies are concentrated at the Hung Dung market area at the beginning of the street (at the intersection with Nguyen Phong Sac Street), gradually spreading out towards the end of the street, deep within Nghi Phu commune bordering Hung Loc (the final point connecting to Truong Van Linh Street). The provincial Traditional Medicine Hospital is hidden behind a wall enclosing a densely canopyed compound of ancient trees; this tranquil atmosphere is naturally suitable for elderly people seeking rest and treatment. One wonders if the pharmacies selling traditional and Western medicines ever meticulously consider that they are practicing a profession requiring integrity on a street named after Tue Tinh – the founder of the national pharmaceutical industry? However, I have walked this street many times, whether through the hustle and bustle of the market or the myriad of offices and well-built houses along the street, and I have involuntarily drawn practical associations to the street's name.

Just about a kilometer and a half long, Tuệ Tĩnh Street has witnessed a rapid transformation of its facade over the past decade. But what's most striking is the vibrant green of the sidewalks covered in vegetation. Zen Master Tuệ Tĩnh famously said, "Southern medicine treats Southern people," reflecting a dialectical perspective on the close relationship between humans and their environment. This perspective fostered an independent, self-reliant medical system, closely aligned with the realities of ancient Vietnam (Đại Việt), a country that steadfastly resisted assimilation by the North. In his medical philosophy, Tuệ Tĩnh prioritized plants and herbs over the elements of medicine, not metal, wood, water, fire, and earth. Therefore, one might wonder if the deliberate choice of naming the street has contributed to its distinctive greenness.

It is now autumn. The trees will soon be shedding their last vestiges of sap before beginning the leaf-shedding season. And so, all plants and trees follow the natural cycle of shedding their leaves, displaying new shoots, and blooming flowers… but the “herbs” along Tuệ Tĩnh Street seem imbued with the “spirit of autumn,” like a memory of a road that compels us to remember and contemplate. I remember the road when it was still a city street, without the impression of being “paved,” due to the patching and repairs during the long process of urban road repairs after the war. The entire route, including the section near Hưng Dũng market, was a single-sided street lined with bamboo and overgrown with wild plants. Further down the road, near the Provincial Military School, a few old casuarina trees stood on the grassy verge, marking the boundary between the road and the green rice paddies of the harvest season.

However, there's also a touch of green, which the old-timers on the street, if reminded, would likely agree with a simple "yes" to "compromise" that the street, once chosen to house the C20 Army Uniform Factory (now privatized with many businesses opening up along its facade), was, more than ten years ago, crowded with contract workers' dormitories and small shops selling military uniforms. Next to it, the Hung Dung market, not yet rebuilt, also had rows of green fruit and vegetable stalls spilling out onto the street. If it weren't for that market, perhaps the entire beginning of the street wouldn't have the connecting sections that make up the wide, beautiful Tuệ Tĩnh road we see today, with its alternating periods of vibrancy and quietude.

At the intersection of Nguyen Sy Sach and Phung Chi Kien streets, running parallel to the North Canal, lies the Provincial Party Committee Bridge. The land where the Nghe An Provincial Party Committee once stood, extending north from the Provincial Traditional Medicine Hospital, was later allocated to residents who were officials and employees, contributing to the "officials' housing" area along with the western side of the street belonging to Ha Huy Tap ward. Because of this residential environment, the alleys leading into the street, whether wide or narrow, are meticulously maintained, clean, and harmoniously landscaped with carefully trimmed greenery. Many areas feature climbing plants with yellow, purple, and red flowers that captivate the eye. Each stretch of sidewalk thus becomes a miniature green landscape, with homeowners freely adding their own touches of greenery, planted by the Parks and Greenery Company to create a vibrant display.

Many streets in Vinh City are lined with paulownia trees. There seem to be several types of paulownia trees. But perhaps the type planted along the streets is the one that poet Bich Khe wrote a masterpiece about in Vietnamese literature: “Oh, sadness lingers on the paulownia tree / Golden leaves fall! Golden leaves fall! Autumn is vast”; or literary allusions often mention the two lines: "When one paulownia leaf falls, everyone knows autumn has arrived" to describe a scene of separation or the approaching autumn, bringing with it the melancholic sadness of "autumn heart"… Yes, because it is now autumn, I want to mention the paulownia trees at the beginning of Tue Tinh Street. There are three paulownia trees at the beginning of the street opposite Hung Dung Market and a few in front of the C20 Garment Factory. Unlike the other rows of green trees on the sidewalks, they don't blend in with the other trees, nor are they overly ornate. Instead, they stand strong, displaying their thick, sharp, thorny trunks, standing alone like sentinels, reminding the busy street-goers of the importance of protecting the green environment. The paulownia trees have "taken hold" of the sidewalks of Tue Tinh Street, as writer Bang Son wrote about the banyan trees of Hanoi, meaning they are also "citizens" of Vinh Street.

One wonders if the renowned traditional Vietnamese medicine master Tuệ Tĩnh ever included insects, which thrive on dew, in some of his herbal prescriptions? But on Tuệ Tĩnh Street in Vinh City, a restaurant specializing in insect dishes has sprung up over the past year! Crickets, grasshoppers, stink bugs… prepared with shallots, lime leaves, coriander, lemongrass, and betel leaves… make for a delicious spicy side dish! Interestingly, the owner of this restaurant is a young math teacher from a central-level college in the province. He opened a restaurant serving insects, but also enjoys selling fresh produce, including cucumbers, tomatoes, and pickles… displaying them in abundance on the sidewalk, earning the trust of city dwellers who buy them more than supermarket-packaged goods. Therefore, it's unclear whether this "teacher" chose the street or the street chose him, creating a unique street that evokes associations with the name of the renowned traditional medicine master Tuệ Tĩnh.

Dinh Sam