It's been a long time since I last listened to the radio, although I still have a few old radios at home as nostalgic displays. But recently, while I was in the capital, the taxi driver suddenly turned on the radio; perhaps he just did it to keep me company and alleviate boredom.
The old radio that's been in my house for years - Photo: HCD
At that time, the radio station was broadcasting a cultural program, featuring songs about Hanoi's autumn accompanied by emotional narration. The announcer's voice was warm and deep, their pronunciation slow and deliberate when mentioning the falling yellow leaves on the sidewalk. Looking out the car window, the scene outside was exactly the same, as if there was a synchronicity between the scenery and the sounds. I asked the driver to drive very slowly, through the tree-lined streets until the program ended, then the car stopped, and I chose a sidewalk cafe to sit and admire the autumn.
The gentle sounds on that train evoked a special feeling in me. It was as if it helped me slow down, pause, and fully appreciate the flavors of life. It also brought back so many heartwarming memories of the old days, when the radio was like a close friend to me.
During my high school years, my house was ten kilometers from school. Every morning I had to get up early and cycle from the village to the town, which took an hour, and then cycle back home at noon. It was a long journey with no friends, just me and my bicycle. Then I bought a small, pocket-sized radio that used a large battery but lasted a long time. The radio had a tuning lever; you had to roll the wheel until you found the right frequency to hear anything. Occasionally, while listening, there would be a crackling sound due to signal interference.
I put the radio in the basket on my bike and listened while I pedaled. Back then, the roads weren't as crowded with large trucks as they are now; it was mostly motorbikes and bicycles, with only the occasional truck carrying materials, so commuting was very safe. I cycled and listened to the radio programs, from the news to... commercials. This helped ease my leg fatigue, and I even enjoyed cycling to school like that.
In the evenings, after finishing my homework, I would turn on the radio to listen to entertainment programs or read bedtime stories. I still remember the warm and expressive voice of the announcer when she read short stories or long novels. Thanks to listening to the radio, I gained more social knowledge and literary stories, and by the time of my graduation exam that year, I, who had only focused on science subjects, was able to write several pages of literature essays. I am grateful for those days of cycling to school with that radio. Without it, I would surely have been much more ignorant.
On rainy nights, the sound of the radio made the old house less gloomy, with news broadcasts interspersed with stories from here and there. That was a time before the internet and smartphones like today, so the radio, as one advertisement said, "brought the whole world to your home."
Most practically, during storms and floods, people had to cut off the electricity to prevent danger. Information then depended entirely on battery-powered radios, listening to constant storm warnings. Then, during those days living with floodwaters, everyone stayed home, and the small radio provided the house with the sound of people and some entertainment.
The radio only had one channel, you could only listen to one station, no other choices. It couldn't switch channels like watching TV, or later, with the internet, you could access websites at will, or today, smartphones allow you to browse news freely. Sometimes, chasing after breaking news and popular events can lead to a hurried lifestyle, even causing a lack of focus on work. Listening to the radio today might seem outdated, but it's actually a way to cultivate patience.
Today, I took out my old radio from my collection of mementos, cleaned it, and put in the batteries. Thankfully, it still works. I started listening to the radio again, like someone who has lived too fast and now needs to find peace. The rainy season in Central Vietnam is also approaching, and that small, old radio will surely be very useful during the upcoming power outages.
I suddenly remembered the taxi driver I met in the capital the other day saying that drivers these days listen to the radio all the time, both to focus on safe driving and to get more information, instead of having their hands free to scroll through their phones. It turns out that nostalgia sometimes has its advantages.
Hoang Cong Danh
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