Hai Phong Station, not just a memory

(PLVN) - In recent years, tourism has been reviving the Hanoi-Hai Phong railway, one of the oldest railways in Vietnam. Train travelers mostly travel to slow down a bit, to touch the memories of train stations, youth and separations, the difficult subsidy period, or more importantly, the culture and history of the country...

One of the most beautiful train stations in Vietnam

After more than 120 years of history, Hai Phong station still retains its ancient beauty with bold French architecture. In particular, Hai Phong station was honored to be assigned the task of welcoming and bringing Uncle Ho back to Hanoi safely on October 21, 1946.

After occupying Bac Ky, the French colonialists began to exploit the colony. Railways were the main means of transportation. To connect Hanoi with Hai Phong , the French built a 102 km long railway connecting the two cities. On June 16, 1902, the entire line was officially put into operation, along with the establishment of Hai Phong station.

Hai Phong Station is one of the few remaining French-style stations in Vietnam, along with stations in Hue (Thua Thien Hue), Nha Trang ( Khanh Hoa ), and Da Lat (Lam Dong). The architecture of Hai Phong Station is designed in neoclassical style based on strict symmetry.

The building is emphasized in the center with two protruding blocks on both sides with decorative details. The iron columns with classical patterns supporting the porch, or the blue stone paving from the early days of operation are still intact. The clock case is over 120 years old, the old mechanical clock part has been damaged and replaced with an electronic clock.

When you arrive here, you will see a bronze plaque hanging in front of the station, with the words: "On October 21, 1946, President Ho Chi Minh took the train to Hanoi Capital, after visiting France, he returned to the Fatherland, stopping in Hai Phong city...", October 21 has become the traditional day of the Vietnam Railway industry and is always the pride of the railway industry's staff.

Immediately after the country gained independence in 1945, foreign forces and domestic reactionaries plotted to occupy our country once again. In a situation of internal and external enemies, on May 31, 1946, Uncle Ho went to France to launch a diplomatic struggle to preserve the young independence.

In October 1946, Uncle Ho returned to Vietnam by ship to Hai Phong Port. After attending a rally with the people of Hai Phong City at Song Lap flower garden, he drove straight to Hai Phong station.

The train pulled for a long time and started moving. The people of Hai Phong waved goodbye to Uncle Ho. Uncle Ho stood at the door and waved in return for the warm welcome of the people of the Port City. Wherever the train went, the people on both sides of the road waved and cheered. The atmosphere along Highway 5 on October 21st is still vivid in the minds of many people in the Port City.

The event of Uncle Ho taking a special train from the Safe Harbor City to the Capital Hanoi had a profound meaning for the people on both sides of Highway 5 (now National Highway 5). That trip left a deep impression on Uncle Ho, so that later, he sent a letter to the children expressing his emotions: “When I returned to the Fatherland, from Hai Phong to Hanoi, you went to welcome me, perhaps more than 100,000 children. Holding red flags with yellow stars, standing on both sides of the road, on both sides of the rice fields. Laughing and singing happily like a flock of birds”.

After the event of welcoming Uncle Ho back to the country, Hai Phong station was also the place that marked the fierce and arduous battle when the French colonialists broke their promise and the people of Hai Phong, along with the whole country, entered the national resistance war.

After the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954, France agreed to withdraw all its troops. Hai Phong was the last point of the Northern railway that was still occupied. Together with the people, workers of the Hai Phong railway area and station workers fought 12 battles to protect machinery and materials.

In October 1946, Uncle Ho returned home by ship to Hai Phong Port (Photo: Archive).

On May 13, 1955, Vietnamese troops took over Hai Phong station. On May 15, 1955, the station operated normally, receiving trains carrying troops and officials into the city; the Hanoi - Hai Phong route resumed normal operations. After the Dien Bien Phu campaign in 1954, France agreed to withdraw all troops. Hai Phong was the last point on the Northern railway that was still occupied.

Since 1955, when Hai Phong City was liberated, the revolutionary government took over Hai Phong station. During the years of the resistance war against the US to save the country, millions of tons of weapons and necessities from socialist countries arrived at Hai Phong port and then went to Hai Phong station for cargo trains to serve the resistance. In 1996, Hai Phong Station was recognized by the Hai Phong City People's Committee as a "Historical Relic of the Resistance War".

Today, coming to Hai Phong Station, we encounter memories of a subsidy period. Many people who have had the opportunity to travel on these trains at different times in their lives are very moved because the scenery of Hai Phong Station has remained almost unchanged. Nowadays, people travel more by car, bus, plane, so the stations, the train cars, the rails, although old and slow to change over time, are still like historical witnesses reminding everyone of a golden age of the railway industry. Each station will always hold special memories in each person's life or each historical event of the locality, of the country...

Enjoying “A glass of wine, listening to a symphony” tourists have set foot in the Port City

In order to develop railway tourism products and increase the value of the experience for tourists, recently, Vietnam Railways Corporation has "joined hands" with Hai Phong City to organize the "Hoa Phuong Do" train, which will put into operation 20 new carriages on the Hanoi - Hai Phong railway route, expected before May 13, 2025 to celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Hai Phong City Liberation Day. This is not only an activity to renew railway tourism products but also opens up opportunities for Hai Phong to enhance the experience of tourists, shaping high-end tourism products.

Among the 20 newly invested train cars, there will be 2 VIP cars with a 36-seat compartment design including 16 single sofas, 5 long sofas with 20 seats arranged in three different spaces. The remaining 18 cars are designed with 56 swivel seats, plastic carpet floors, decorative floral ceilings and 2 rows of LED lights installed along the walkways, with LCD screens and LED advertising frames. This new train is expected to become a railway tourism product, promising to attract a large number of tourists to join the journey to Hai Phong...

According to Vietnam Railways Corporation, the expected color, lines and design of the "Red Flamboyant" train will combine modern lines and traditional Asian colors, with the green of the phoenix leaves, the red of the phoenix flowers, the blue of the sea and parallel lines illustrating the ocean waves as well as the Port City.

In addition, Hai Phong is also completing procedures to recognize Hai Phong Station as a tourist destination, check-in point and enhance the experience for visitors right from the moment they arrive in the city. The plan to connect railway tourism with river and sea tourism has also been implemented by the city to create unique, attractive and creative tourism products.

The "Red Flamboyant" train promises to attract many tourists who want to experience it.

According to Mr. Tran Van Hanh, Director of Hai Phong Railway Transport Branch, since the trend of experiencing Hai Phong Foodtour by rail exploded, the number of passengers returning to the Red Flamboyant City has increased significantly. To serve the needs of tourists, Hai Phong station has renovated and repaired the road through the station to make it more convenient for passengers to travel. Regarding the equipment on the train, Vietnam Railways Corporation pays great attention to the stations on the route. Regarding the equipment on the train, the railway industry has brought in good quality equipment on the train to serve this route.

Dr. Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong shared that, if in the past, the number of passengers traveling by train to Hai Phong City to experience Foodtour and Citytour were mainly young people, students, now, the operation of luxury train cars, especially VIP cars, will attract more high-class passengers to Hai Phong. The "Hoa Phuong Do" train will also help tourists from Hanoi and international tourists coming to Hai Phong have more high-class options, experience many exciting tourist activities in the summer of 2025 at famous tourist areas of the city.

“We expect this to be a unique railway tourism product, contributing to diversifying choices for tourists. At the same time, it will bring new experiences, helping tourists explore Hai Phong from a different and more interesting perspective. We are working with tourism businesses to build tours combining trains, island tours, city tours and culinary experiences”. Dr. Hoang Mai happily shared: “Friends or partners traveling on the “Hoa Phuong Do” train to Hai Phong can have a glass of wine, listen to a symphony with familiar stories, and can come to this over-100-year-old train station...”.

According to Mr. Tran Van Hanh, nowadays, not only young people but also many groups of elderly people or people working in the same agency travel by train to Hai Phong. This also helps Hai Phong's tourism develop. Hai Phong Station is one of the oldest stations in Vietnam, but up to now, the station has gone through 122 springs of life but is still full of vitality with the spirit of continuing to accompany the development of the country...

In 2025, Hai Phong strives to attract over 10 million visitors, including over 1 million international visitors. In the first two months of 2025, Hai Phong tourism welcomed over 1.1 million visitors, including 150,000 international visitors. According to statistics in 2024, the number of passengers traveling by train from Hanoi to Hai Phong reached over 1.5 million, an increase compared to 1.4 million in 2023.

It is expected that on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation of the Port City (May 13), Hai Phong City will welcome tens of thousands of residents and tourists via railway. This will create momentum for the breakthrough growth of railway tourism in the city in 2025. This is also a positive signal for the railway industry to continue to innovate, improve service quality and exploit potential to attract more tourists in the future.

The design of the “Red Flamboyant” train will combine modern lines and traditional Asian colors.

Hai Phong Food Festival 2025 at the station

The event is expected to take place from May 9 to May 14, with more than 40 food stalls, Hai Phong delicacies, local specialties in the port city and tourist gifts, along with many exciting street music performances.

In the long term, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong will select reputable and quality businesses and restaurants to participate in serving on tourist trains and serving tourists when experiencing cuisine in the city. The city has about 600 restaurants serving a variety of dishes, including dishes from countries and territories around the world such as Italy, France, the United States, Japan, Korea, etc.

At the same time, organize customer conferences, attract visitors such as island tourism, sports - golf, MICE, city tour combining culture and cuisine to exploit railway tourism products well. Along with the development of railway tourism, Hai Phong will develop river tourism and will connect different types of tourism. In addition to enjoying cuisine, visitors will have more opportunities to directly experience the process of preparing dishes, making the journey more vivid and memorable.

Dr. Tran Thi Hoang Mai emphasized that Hai Phong City is located in the key economic region of Northern Vietnam. With the advantage of geographical location, developed transport infrastructure, along with long-standing cultural values ​​and unique natural destinations, Hai Phong is increasingly affirming its position on the national and international tourism map. Supporting and developing the "Red Flamboyant" train product and organizing the "Delicious Food Festival" at Hai Phong Station aims to develop Hai Phong railway tourism and build Hai Phong Station into a tourist destination. This is a practical activity in response to the Red Flamboyant Festival - Hai Phong 2025, celebrating the 70th Anniversary of Hai Phong Liberation Day.

After being renovated, Hai Phong station will operate the "new product" on the occasion of the 70th Anniversary of Hai Phong Liberation Day (May 13, 1955 - May 13, 2025) with many large-scale and systematic events and programs. The leader of Hai Phong station said that with the desire to promote and develop tourism, after consulting with relevant authorities, Hai Phong station will have its landscape architecture restored. Specifically, there will be a souvenir shop; the exterior of the station will be repainted to be more aesthetically pleasing according to the previous French architecture; the trees in front of the station will be rearranged... At the same time, a coffee shop will be arranged in the train station - a place where visitors can enjoy an old space. Some working rooms will be made smaller to take advantage of the area of ​​the station to serve as a souvenir counter, showroom... At Hai Phong station, both will be used as a tourist destination and maintain passenger pick-up and drop-off activities as before.

Mr. Cao Van Tuan, Vice Chairman of Hai Phong Tourism Association shared: “The trains not only carry goods and passengers but also carry stories, memories, and regional cultural values”. Tourism businesses are encouraged to proactively build tours combining train travel and sightseeing in Hai Phong, organizing charter trains from Hanoi and neighboring provinces. Food service establishments in Hai Phong are also encouraged to implement incentive programs and discounts for train passengers during the Red Flamboyant Festival and the 70th anniversary of Hai Phong Liberation in May 2025.

Hai Phong Station has gone through 122 springs.

To develop railway tourism products sustainably and effectively, Dr. Tran Thi Hoang Mai, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Hai Phong City, suggested that the railway industry should invest in upgrading infrastructure, renovating Hai Phong Station, and at the same time promoting the "Train Road - Flower Road" movement with the idea of ​​each route having a flower, each station area having a tourist destination. Along with that, cooperate with the Tourism Association and service businesses in Hanoi, Hai Duong and Hai Phong to build attractive and highly competitive tourism products.

Connecting with businesses opens up new prospects for Hai Phong railway tourism, contributing to diversifying the city's tourism products, effectively connecting with neighboring localities, while preserving and promoting the heritage value of more than a century of Vietnam's railway industry.

Phuong Uyen - Minh Chau

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/ga-hai-phong-khong-chi-la-ky-uc-post548237.html