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). People in the city rarely mention the street 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 drive each other very slowly, holding hands as if wishing the destination to be very far away, very long...

Phan Boi Chau Street is a long line connecting major intersections: one side connects the horizontal line 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 trying to make a living. From the bustling streets, turning onto 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 "taken 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 very sparse, still stick 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-school 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 vanity, 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 full of 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! She was so surprised that she slammed on the brakes, her best friend sitting behind her tugged on her shirt: "It's nothing strange, I've seen this scene many times." The women carrying their children in front also took the trouble to turn the car around to give their children a chance to admire the countryside scenery. Even though 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 school, electric bicycles rush out, fluttering beautiful ao dai, bright moon-like faces, many times making passersby stunned. Also almost at the same time as the Ga market closes, around noon, Cup motorbikes take off their bibs, slung 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 it comes to Phan Boi Chau Street, the bustling, hurried and lingering comings and goings of the trains are certainly the most familiar things. Although looking at 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 statistics as specific as to see 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 driving her child away from home for the first time to go to university, on the way there are instructions and worries; loved ones drive 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 crimson sunset, but my thoughts still lead me into a maze. Or I could end these rambling lines with a couple of beautiful verses of the poet Quach Thoai:

This morning I walked out into the city.

To listen to the street speak new feelings

I hear the sound of cars and horns on the road

The whole sound of people's lives

A smile ran between her fresh lips…

Phuong Chi