Phan Boi Chau Street: Bustling with trips coming and going

(Baonghean) - Perhaps there are few roads that are as familiar and filled with memories as Phan Boi Chau Street (Vinh City). The people of the city rarely mention the street's name, but often simply call it "the road to the train station", "the market road". Perhaps those who have traveled on this road to Vinh station all carry within them an indescribable feeling: the mother driving her child away from home for the first time to attend university, on the way there are instructions and worries; loved ones driving each other very slowly, holding hands as if wishing the destination would be far away, very long...

Phan Boi Chau Street is a long line connecting major intersections: one side connects the horizontal lines of Truong Chinh - Le Ninh, the other side connects Le Loi - Mai Hac De - Nguyen Sy Sach. That long road of only about a kilometer also bears many stories of people making a living. From the bustling streets, turning into Phan Boi Chau, what immediately catches your eye are rows of shops selling construction materials, corrugated iron and steel purlins... And scattered on both sides of the road are old cyclos, on which the owners always put their feet up waiting for customers, a patient wait. Those old cyclos were once an effective and familiar means of transport for many passengers at Vinh station and the ladies at the train station market. Now, motorbikes and taxis have quickly "claimed their place" to serve, the cyclo drivers on both sides of Phan Boi Chau Street, one generation after another, although the number of customers has been greatly reduced, still cling to this road as a familiarity, a way to make a living.

Phan Boi Chau Street leading to Vinh station.

That route, in the minds of the old-generation urbanites, through many changes and ups and downs of time, although many hotels and restaurants with flashing lights have sprung up, there is still, above all the new splendor, a sense of nostalgia. Behind most of the modern buildings are still old kiosks, houses with bold architectural features of the 80s and 90s, and the old people of the street, morning and evening, when the hustle and bustle of making a living has temporarily subsided, still diligently wear their brown clothes, strolling along the sidewalks littered with shops. Can you believe it that one day, driving on the way to the train station, suddenly saw a herd of cows leisurely grazing on the sidewalk! So surprised that she slammed on the brakes, her best friend sitting behind tugged on her shirt: "What's so strange, I've seen this scene many times". The women carrying their children in front also took the trouble to turn the car around so that their children could have a chance to admire the countryside scenery. Although it was a bit awkward and unsafe for urban traffic, I really loved the innocence of the children who were not born in the village.

Phan Boi Chau Street is a combination of modern and old, young and old, harmonious and discordant. That is the opinion of those who love the street, and it is not without reason because on that street, there is the presence of Ha Huy Tap High School, which is often filled with the cheers of students. Ha School is famous for its beauty contests, so it is not surprising that at the end of the school day, electric bicycles rush out, fluttering beautiful ao dai, bright full moon faces, many times making passersby stunned. Also almost at the same time, it is the closing time of the Railway Station market, around noon, Cup motorbikes take off their bibs, and behind the high saddles are baskets, trays, baskets, and baskets. Fish, shrimp, vegetables... and the carriers always seem to be women - women who never have a moment to show off their soft faces, always wearing tight masks, knee-high plastic boots, faded work clothes or raincoats on rainy days.

However, when mentioning Phan Boi Chau Street, the bustling, hurried and lingering comings and goings of the trains are certainly the most familiar. Although on the map, Vinh Station is not "owned" by Phan Boi Chau Street, but is located on Le Ninh Street. It doesn't matter, because when you reach the station, it means you have reached your destination, and all the lingering, longing, torment, excitement... all the emotions have been recorded by Phan Street. There are no specific statistics to the point of looking at how many people Phan Boi Chau Street takes to Vinh Station in a year. Perhaps those who have traveled on this street to the station all carry within them an indescribable feeling: the mother taking her child away from home for the first time to go to university, on the way there are instructions and worries; loved ones driving each other very slowly, holding hands as if wishing the station destination to be very far away, very long... On Phan Boi Chau Street, there have been trips that were both the first and last time.

I intended to write briefly about the familiar streets of the city, and sow gentle emotions for a deserted afternoon with a deep red sunset, but my thoughts still lead me into a maze. Or I could end these rambling lines with a few beautiful verses of the poet Quach Thoai:

This morning I walked out into the city.

To hear the street speak new and strange feelings

I hear the sound of cars and horns on the road

The sound of people's lives

A smile runs hidden between fresh lips…

Phuong Chi