Rain, loose-leaf tea, and Hue train station.

The torrential rain in Hue brought a chill to every corner, but only the hearts of the people remained unaffected! A friend recommended a small spot right opposite Hue train station – where the women selling drinks had been for decades – so we braved the rain to get there.

Looking at the dilapidated drink stall with a few rain-soaked tables and chairs hidden in a dark corner, I felt sorry for it. The woman selling drinks addressed herself as "auntie," using the familiar form of address common in Hue.

She recounted that her mother had been selling drinks here to passengers waiting for trains since 1976. It was even more touching to see her arranging on the table a teapot, a plate of pumpkin seeds, a plate of watermelon seeds, a plate of peanut candy, a packet of tobacco, next to a traditional pipe and thermos – items that couldn't be more Vietnamese!

Suddenly, sitting down, I felt an overwhelming love for the ordinary things I'd seen before, and a feeling of pride welled up inside me for being Vietnamese.

Every time I meet foreigners, I proudly introduce myself: "I am Vietnamese." During a conversation with director and writer Xuan Phuong at Hue University, I remember her telling me that before the age of 10, she didn't realize she was Vietnamese, until she saw a classmate stepping on the shadow of her homeland's flag. A strange, unsettling feeling arose in her heart, and she later chose to dedicate herself to her country.

The moment of realizing "I am Vietnamese" is truly precious! I've been reminded of that precious fact many times in my life. Tonight, once again, at Hue train station, in the rain, beside a cup of tea and the flickering light of an oil lamp.

The oil lamps today cast a dim light under the bright electric lights, but that doesn't diminish their value. The woman selling drinks recalled that in the old days, Hue train station wasn't as brightly lit as it is now.

Opposite the train station was a long streak of light culminating in small dots from the oil lamps of the closely spaced tea stalls. The light from these oil lamps was magical, though their purpose was not only to provide illumination but also to allow customers to light their tobacco pipes.

Gradually, the number of street vendors selling drinks decreased, replaced by a variety of restaurants, cafes, and pubs… Only about three drink stalls still maintain the simple style of the old days, and even then, it depends on the weather.

Some days, like today, there's only a single line of people. Visitors to the station may, by chance, encounter things from the past. Consider us lucky guests to fully enjoy the scenery of old Vietnam.

I'm not sure if the woman selling drinks cherishes the cultural beauty of the past or if she maintains the same arrangement of her stall for the sake of making a living.

But one thing is certain: thanks to the few remaining people like her who do this job at the train station, young people like us get to live in a pleasant atmosphere, embraced by things that are familiar not only to us but to generations past.

I am Vietnamese, and I am proud of that!

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/mua-tra-man-va-ga-hue-3142664.html