Nha Trang has schools

When I think back on the events that happened in my life, I wonder where to start. Asking and answering myself, starting with my schooling would probably be easy because everything that anyone can remember probably formed from when they started going to school.

The first school in my life was the Dong Au class on Bach Dang street. Back then, there were no kindergartens, that Dong Au class was for children who could not read yet. I don’t remember what I learned in that class, nor what my first teacher taught me, but I clearly remember his tall figure, when he smiled, revealing a gold tooth. Later, when I grew up, that Dong Au class still existed and later became a small kindergarten where the teachers were the teacher’s children. Time has changed a lot, now when I pass by Bach Dang street, I can’t recognize the place of my first class.

Phuoc Tien Primary School was formerly Tan Phuoc Primary School.

The school I remember more about is Tan Phuoc Primary School (now Phuoc Tien Primary School) located on Le Thanh Ton Street. At that time, Tan Phuoc School was also one of the quite large primary schools in Nha Trang town. I studied at Tan Phuoc School from grade five to grade one. The way the classes were called back then was the opposite of what they are now. Whenever I think back to my childhood, I often compare myself to children today. At that time, all parents had to go to work and were busy so they couldn't take care of their children much. Most of us went to school by ourselves when we were young and took care of our own education. My house was on Nguyen Trai Street, near Xom Moi Market, now Vo Tru Street. When I was in grade five at Tan Phuoc School, my father only took me to school a few times and after showing me the way, he didn't take me to school anymore. Every day I went from home, turned onto Nguyen Tuong Tam Street (now Tran Binh Trong Street), turned onto Huynh Thuc Khang Street, then onto Co Bac Street to Bui Thi Xuan Street and entered the school through the back door. It seemed that during my years studying in Tan Phuoc, I always followed this route and always went to school through the back door because going along Nguyen Hoang Street (now Ngo Gia Tu Street) would be further and there would be more traffic.

Many years have passed but I still remember the names of my first teachers at Tan Phuoc School: Ms. Minh, Ms. Huong, Ms. Yen and Mr. Luong Tac. Mr. Luong Tac taught me in the first grade. When I think of him, I remember the subject of Running Math, which means solving math puzzles very quickly, whoever finishes first will get a high score. That is a very good way to practice Math, if students can follow it, they will quickly become good at Math. I wonder if it was thanks to that that I later easily took the entrance exam to the seventh grade of Nha Trang High School for Girls?

Nha Trang also has two more famous and ancient primary schools: the Boys' Primary School (now Nguyen Van Troi High School) and the Girls' Primary School (later Chu Van An Semi-Public School and now iSchool Nha Trang). A little further from the main street are Phuoc Hai Primary School and Van Hoa School. I didn't know much about these schools when I was young, so now I don't have any impression of them.

But there is a small school that many people will remember, that is Hoa Khanh School located on Tran Quy Cap Street, I knew this school through the exam preparation class for the 7th grade public school. The school had a very kind teacher named Huong who explained math easily. I studied here 2-3 months before the exam day, I don't remember who my friends were, except for my classmate at Tan Phuoc School. Decades later, when we met again, my friend said that when we left the exam preparation class, we often invited each other to go to Ninh Hoa bus station to eat sweet soup.

At that time, Nha Trang had two largest high schools: Vo Tanh School for boys and Nha Trang High School for girls. These were public schools, and to enter they had to pass a rather rigorous entrance exam because the number of students admitted to the school was much less than the number of classes. In addition to the two public high schools, Nha Trang also had Le Quy Don Semi-Public School, which is now Tan Lap 1 Primary School on To Hien Thanh Street. Next to Le Quy Don School, there was a famous and delicious sweet soup shop, and many girls from the High School for Girls across the street also ran over to eat during recess. There was another high school for girls, the Sacred Heart School of Catholic nuns, located diagonally across from Phuoc Tien Primary School, now Huong Sen Kindergarten. Near Vo Tanh School, on Tran Hung Dao Street, there was College Francais, which taught the French program, which is today Loc Tho Primary School. Nearby, located on Nguyen Chanh Street now, on the land of Khanh Hoa University, was La San Ba Ninh School, a high school exclusively for boys run by priests...

Nha Trang people are very studious, so at that time there were many famous private schools such as Dang Khoa High School on Ly Thanh Ton Street (now Phuong Sai Primary School). On Sinh Trung Street there was Khai Minh High School, which taught both Vietnamese and Chinese, we often called it the Chinese school. Later it was Van Thang Primary School, then merged with Van Thanh and was rebuilt last year very spaciously with a new name, Trung Vuong Secondary School. There was also a school for boys only, the Technical School on the old Duy Tan Street, now Tran Phu Street. It was a high school that taught both literacy and vocational skills, with students wearing the typical blue uniform that every Nha Trang person knows...

The schools all had teachers in common with Vo Tanh School and High School for Girls. Later, due to the needs of the students, the teachers of Vo Tanh School established Kim Yen School, located in the campus of the Literature School on the old Nguyen Trai Street. In addition, at that time, Nha Trang also had a Primary Teacher Training School and in 1973, Duyen Hai Community College was established.

Time is like water flowing under a bridge and cannot be turned back, so I may have forgotten the name of a certain school. But the names of the schools I mentioned and the schools I attended are all schools that Nha Trang people cannot help but remember. Now, following the changing trend of life, many schools no longer exist or have been built larger, more spacious and more splendid. In any case, in recent school reunions, class reunions or when meeting each other at events, former students are very proud to introduce themselves as students of this or that school. The old school is a warm and sweet memory that anyone feels nostalgic when recalling. Remembering teachers, friends, remembering every corner of the old school is remembering a beautiful time of one's youth.

Time passes but memories will remain in everyone's heart. It is not only love for the old school but also love for the beloved homeland Nha Trang.

LUU CAM VAN

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/nhung-vung-ky-uc/202408/nha-trang-co-nhung-ngoi-truong-26530d0/