The path that bears the mark of poets

That road is now lost in the hustle and bustle of the market, sometimes becoming part of the perimeter of Dam Market, causing its name to be forgotten: Ben Cho Road - one of the oldest roads in Nha Trang, formed along with the land of Xuong Huan (old Nha Trang). Initially, it was just a small dirt road running along the edge of En Lagoon (also known as Cu Dam). This was actually a small lagoon connected to the mouth of the Cai River (Cu Huan), near where the scientist A. Yersin lived and worked. He worked in a white house on a sandbar overlooking the mouth of the Cai River, which the fishermen called "Mr. Tu's House". The French named the street Quai du Marché – meaning Market Wharf – because it was located near the lagoon, where trading ships and locals from near and far, coming from the sea and from the citadel (Dien Khanh), docked to transport goods: fish, bamboo, wood, grass, melons, sugarcane, pottery, coal, firewood, mats, etc. Market Wharf Street functioned like a port, connecting to Phan Boi Chau Street and Phan Dinh Phung Street; it also intersected with Hai Ba Trung, Le Loi, Nguyen Cong Tru, and Nguyen Thai Hoc (later renamed) streets. This area was a bustling commercial district, particularly popular with Chinese immigrants who settled and did business here.

Ben Cho Street today.

Moreover, since the 1940s, Ben Cho Street has featured buildings with distinct French architecture, most notably building number 12. In 1937, the poet Quach Tan bought the house and lived there until his death. According to the poet of "Classical Season," Quach Tan, during his lifetime, this house was a lodging place for many patriotic intellectuals such as Phan Boi Chau, Tran Quy Cap, and Huynh Thuc Khang when they visited Nha Trang. Especially later, the "Four Friends of Ban Thanh" group, consisting of Han Mac Tu, Che Lan Vien, Yen Lan, and Quach Tan, used the house as a familiar address for meeting, visiting, and exchanging letters. According to Quach Giao (son of poet Quach Tan), when Quach Tan had a stable job and the house at 12 Ben Cho, he regularly sent money to support the poet Tan Da during difficult times. After the country's liberation, Che Lan Vien and Yen Lan often returned to the house at 12 Ben Cho to visit their old friend. Perhaps it is the only street in Nha Trang associated with so many great names in Vietnamese poetry. In particular, many of Quách Tấn's famous works, such as "A Sincere Heart," "Classical Season," "Land of Agarwood," "Binh Dinh Landscape," and "The Tay Son Dynasty," were all composed at house number 12 Ben Cho.

Old Dam Market. Archival photo.

Along Ben Cho Street, there is still a famous cultural relic that marks the time of Nha Trang's founding: the Xuong Huan village communal house at 10 Ben Cho Street. This is an ancient village communal house dedicated to the village's ancestors and the god of the South Sea, where the entire coastal village of Xom Con and Cu Huan estuary come to worship at the beginning of the third lunar month every year.

When the Cù Đàm pond was filled in to build a circular market in the 1970s, Bến Chợ road remained unchanged. It continued to be a bustling market ring road connecting the square Đầm market (Bến Cá road, Xương Huân), sometimes selling fish and meat, sometimes selling household goods.

The old Ben Cho road ran along the edge of Cu Lagoon. (Archival photo)

The old Ben Cho street was once lined with ancient banyan, mahogany, and tamarind trees, but over time they gradually disappeared. Nowadays, it's a hub for selling fruits from all over. Stalls and kiosks are built close together, so many passersby seem to have forgotten what the street once was. But those who knew it still hear the sound of waves lapping against the shore, the swallows soaring and circling as spring arrives, flying out to the river and then to the sea. We hear the sound of boats splashing on the water, and imagine poets like Che Lan Vien, Yen Lan, and Quach Tan enjoying spring outings and reeds swaying in the wind…

DUONG TRANG HUONG

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/nhung-goc-pho-nhung-con-duong/202605/con-duong-luudau-thi-nhan-c923fb2/