The street is thick with sediment.

(Baonghean) -On a sunny day, slowly cycling down the street, down to the end of the road with the gloomy look of a centuries-old worker's quarter, you will not be able to suppress the feeling of excitement and nostalgia. Just for a moment, next to the row of trees whose leaves are trying to grow green on the barren branches, the clear chirping of cicadas from school days will chirp... That is the "strange" feeling when walking on Nguyen Van Troi Street, Vinh City...

Nguyen Van Troi Street

The old road was originally a trail that passed through the Nguyen Dynasty's regional examination school around 1807. During the French colonial period, the road was widened and became the way back in the De Thap neighborhood, Yen Dung Ha village of Vinh province. Therefore, every step on this road means we are walking on a cultural and historical sedimentary area of ​​the famous Phuong Hoang Trung Do - Ben Thuy area. Starting out as a school and a worker's quarter, the street has a certain sensitivity in the way of life throughout the ages. The space of the regional examination school is now Vinh University, the North Central Education and Training Center; the worker's quarter still retains its appearance in the collective areas of Ben Thuy Port, the old porterage cooperative, Hoang Thi Loan Knitting Factory (now Hoang Thi Loan Textile Joint Stock Company)...

Starting from the junction of Le Duan Street and Nguyen Du Street, Nguyen Van Troi Street is more than 1 kilometer long, running down to Dung Quyet Street. This is the only street in Vinh City that runs straight across two important roads: National Highway 1A running through Vinh and the tourist road along Lam River. Nguyen Van Troi Street has contributed to the "name" of University Crossroads, which who knows, one day it might become a place name associated with Vinh like So Crossroads or O Cho Dua in Hanoi? Ben Thuy Market is now also known by the people in the street as University Market! The market on the East side and a section of the West side of the street next to Vinh University have created a bustling street with hundreds of services. Many temporary sidewalk stalls target students, so the services here are different from other retail markets in the city, thanks to the crowded stalls selling glasses, pens, locksmiths, shoe repair shops, etc. and the most bustling are the seasonal clothing stalls. This street is bustling from dawn until late at night.

The upper part of the street has many food and beverage stalls with dishes mainly serving students. At the intersection of Phong Dinh Cang Street, there is a baobab tree, a tree whose ancestors are from faraway Africa whose age no one in the street knows, leading to a small alley leading to a space called “Baobab Coffee” which is creating a poetic feature of the street. And in recent years, on the side of the fence of the old Vinh Textile Factory, a night food street has been formed but in fact it sells almost all day and night with rustic dishes such as crabs, snails, frogs… mainly serving freelance workers. In the summer, many restaurants switch to selling draft beer. Thus, it has created a new feature that enriches the cuisine of this street.

Con Mo historical site on Nguyen Van Troi street

The stretch from Nguyen Van Troi Street down to Dung Quyet Street, with the highlight being the offices, factories, warehouses... of Hoang Thi Loan Textile Joint Stock Company. The street is only bustling for a moment every morning and afternoon when the shift starts and ends, then returns to its quiet and somewhat deserted routine. The shabby, old apartment buildings are deserted, with sparse breakfast stalls, bicycle repair shops, sidewalk barber shops... with no customers. The owners sit absentmindedly on chairs in front of the door, like staff preserving a worker neighborhood associated with the history of workers and the revolutionary movement of Vinh.

Residents on Nguyen Van Troi Street now have the right to be proud of the tradition of fighting at the dawn of the revolution. History records: “The 1930-1931 revolutionary movement, with the peak of the Nghe Tinh Soviet, was opened by the struggle of workers and farmers in Vinh - Ben Thuy. On May 1, 1930, at exactly 5:00 a.m., the self-defense force was deployed to guard the roads. After the sound of the command drum from the center, along with the sound of gongs and drums from many places in the area, people from the roads in Ben Thuy eagerly poured into Con Mo... Frightened by the wave of protests from the masses, the enemy savagely shot at the protesters, killing 7 people, injuring 18 people and arresting more than 100 people. Con Mo - Ben Thuy was soaked in the blood of workers and farmers in Vinh - Ben Thuy”. Con Mo is located on this street. A memorial to that painful and heroic day was erected, and people burned incense to show their gratitude for the anniversary.

The once bustling and prosperous Ben Thuy river port is now imprinted in the coal, construction material, and mechanical shops and the slow-moving trucks from the river wharf; even in the small headquarters with the sign "Border Guard Station of Ben Thuy Port". It would be very meaningful if one day when tourism activities along Lam River come into reality, Nguyen Van Troi Street is chosen as the main road for tourists to find relics and places illustrating the Vinh Ben Thuy worker-peasant revolutionary movements. These are the Tu Van Association and Van Thanh House, founded in the 19th century; the national historical site of Con Mo, the church of comrade Le Viet Thuat - Secretary of the Central Region Party Committee...

The street has such a bustling atmosphere, such a quiet atmosphere. The street also contains many stories about the historical Yen Dung Ha - Ben Thuy area. But strangely, on sunny days in April, slowly cycling on the deserted stretch, it seems like the clear chirping of cicadas from school days will immediately resound. You can experience that feeling like me, so that we can grow up with youthful expectations for Nguyen Van Troi Street of our beloved Vinh City.

Sam Temple