Stations and trains

Nha Trang is a small and beautiful city, small so everything is close, the intersections are very close to each other and it is easy to find famous places because they are all located in the city. Nha Trang is near the modern Cam Ranh International Airport, there is a large cruise port that can receive international ships bringing thousands of tourists here. But what people remember most is the train station. Nha Trang Station is located right in the city center, a historical relic. For Nha Trang people, this is a place that must be respected, preserved and protected. Nha Trang people are proud that from Nha Trang Station they can go everywhere, from North to South very easily.

Nha Trang Station

Around mid-1975, I started taking the train to get to work when I was working in Tu Bong (Van Ninh district). At that time, many young people from Nha Trang went to work in the northern districts, especially those working inthe education sector. We stayed in local houses and only returned to Nha Trang once every 1-2 weeks on the weekends. Tu Bong was not as populous as it is now, so there was only one bus going to Nha Trang at 4-5 am every day. The main customers were women bringing shrimp, fish, and vegetables to the markets in Nha Trang, so our choice was still the train to go there and back.

Tu Bong Station is located right at the beginning of the turn to Van Gia town, a small station, just a small house with a ticket window, the rest is a place for passengers to wait for the train. At that time, there were only market trains, the trains did not run very fast, when the train whistle sounded from afar, the passengers would stand close to the tracks. Before the train could stop, passengers rushed in and squeezed through the narrow door to find a seat. In the train car, there were only 2 rows of wooden seats next to the wall of the train, so many people had to stand in the middle of the car and sway to the rhythm of the train. Those trains usually departed from Tuy Hoa ( Phu Yen ) and there were 2 trips arriving and departing that stopped at Tu Bong station.

The number of passengers on the train on weekends is higher than on other days because there are more young teachers working in the districts from Tu Bong onwards. It is only after a week or two that we meet, so there are many stories to tell and of course, whether standing or sitting, knowing that we are about to go home is enough to make us happy. Those market trains stop at every station for five or seven minutes, from Tu Bong station the train soon stops at Van Gia station. It is also a bit more bustling because there will always be more people getting on who are friends of someone on the train.

Whenever I was lucky enough to have a seat, I liked to look out the train window, the rice fields and mountain peaks that the train passed by, later became landmarks to let me know where I was. The names of the stations also became familiar even though they were small stations that the train did not stop at, such as: Lac An Station, Hoa Huynh Station...; Ninh Hoa Station was a large station so the train stopped longer. Anyone who had boarded the train at the previous stations would look towards the door to see if their friends were getting on or not because Ninh Hoa was where many people from Nha Trang went to work. When we met, we shook hands and smiled, laughing loudly as if we had not seen each other for a long time.

From Ninh Hoa to Nha Trang, there are sections of railway very close to the national highway, so the train runs parallel to the vehicles on the road. After Ninh Ich, people on the train will definitely see their friends hunched over on bicycles below, so everyone waves and cheers, calling their friends' names. Those on bicycles may not recognize each other, but they still wave until only the last car of the train is visible. After passing a small tunnel and reaching Ngoc Hoi station, Nha Trang is visible, many people start to push their way to the door. We often say goodbye right next to the railway tracks, hastily agreeing to meet again on Monday morning, then go our separate ways.

For a long time after leaving Tu Bong, I did not take the train, did not know how the railway had changed until my child went to Saigon to take the university entrance exam. The change in the railway that impressed many people was around 2000, when trains began to have modern double-decker carriages equipped with air conditioning. The trips became more interesting because the majority of people liked to experience that progress, gradually with the addition of sleeper carriages, no one remembered the market trains anymore. That change made people no longer afraid of traveling by train and satisfied to enjoy all the amenities, Nha Trang station was mentioned even more.

I have been a passenger on the Nha Trang - Saigon trains for many years. The trains now do not have a lot of goods, the passengers are also polite, well-dressed, and have a gentle demeanor. The train compartments only have 4 passengers, they laugh and talk just enough and easily communicate without bothering each other. Being able to approach each other easily like that, I realized an interesting thing: most of the Nha Trang women who take the train go to Saigon to visit their children at school, everyone has a few baskets or styrofoam boxes and show each other what they bring, in addition to seafood, there are also pho noodles, banh canh flour and bread, then conclude that the children only like to eat these dishes from Nha Trang. That similar love sounds so cute like the words "Nha Trang".

Nha Trang Station has naturally become a part of the city, like Hon Chong, the beach, the mountain church, Long Son pagoda..., naturally, close and familiar, so it often becomes normal. Until a time, there was a rumor that Nha Trang Station would be moved out of the city center or demolished and replaced with a high-rise building. The rumor touched the hearts of Nha Trang people, so there was a stir of opposition and opinions to protect Nha Trang Station. One day, there was an official announcement that Nha Trang Station must be kept because it is a historical relic, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as if their hearts had a shower of rain.

Now, although there are many means of transport, I still choose the train whenever I have to go to Saigon. The waiting room of Nha Trang station is old but clean, compact and close with warm yellow lights, it also looks quite nice. When sitting in the waiting room looking out at Thai Nguyen street in front of me, I feel like I am observing the modern streets from a fairy tale place. The old railway tracks are still there quietly observing the hugs and goodbyes of people leaving and staying. Nha Trang station is still a witness to the journeys of coming and going, sadness and joy.

Life is like a train that always moves forward and we are the passengers who always believe in better things to come.

LUU CAM VAN

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