Wake up with the city

There are days when you're far from the city, and upon returning, just the moment your car touches the city gate, passing through Dong De or Vo Nguyen Giap road, or climbing the Cu Hin pass, brings back a familiar feeling of home. That's me talking about Nha Trang, the place where I have belonged and still belong, just as you all have your own place. That place is memories, recollections, friends, the wind and rain, and the sunny days reflected on every tiled roof.

The city – just streets, rows of trees, sidewalks sometimes crowded with shops and stalls – but it holds love. This love for the city permeates us, even though we weren't born there, but we came, grew up, and shared our joys and sorrows there.

Photo: GC

Surely, sometimes you find yourself spontaneously driving down the street. Not necessarily going anywhere, but simply enjoying the afternoon stroll. Although Tran Phu Street is always crowded with traffic, the afternoon breeze is pleasantly cool thanks to the shade provided by the buildings. Ignoring the traffic jams, you leisurely walk along this street you've traveled countless times. This season, you might unexpectedly encounter the blooming crape myrtle trees. Then, suddenly, you feel a pang of regret for the entire street covered in yellow blossoms, swept away by people using brooms.

"City" is a general word, just as it will eventually become a ward under the new arrangement; it's still where we live, where we experience joy and sorrow, and where countless unforgettable memories fade away. Walking down a street, we tell ourselves it's been a long time since we last visited this place. And when a small shop puts up a "closed" sign, it feels like we've just lost a familiar place.

The city has roads like the winding road to Chut, circling through the An Vien area and turning back towards Cua Be, then onto Vo Thi Sau street. Walk along and admire the bougainvillea trees planted along the roadside, or smell the lingering scent of fish sauce. It could also be the long Luong Dinh Cua street, where in spring you encounter courtyards adorned with golden apricot blossoms, as if spring itself were there. I remember one time I couldn't resist a blooming apricot tree at a house, so I opened the gate and stepped inside; the homeowner enthusiastically offered me tea under that tree.

The city, sometimes, is the small street we used to walk to school, the house where the girl we had a crush on lived, the moss-covered tiled roof with its joyful vines clinging to it, as if waiting for a rain shower to bring rebirth. The city is when we're caught in a sudden downpour, quickly take shelter under an awning, chat idly with strangers whose names we don't know, and then, when the rain stops, we all get lost in the crowd.

There are mornings when you go out into the street to the sound of the wind, to the scent of night-blooming flowers. Going out when the sun is still sleeping behind the mountain peaks, you encounter countless other people just like yourself. Going to the beach to wait for the sunrise, the beauty of the sun on a new day is truly magnificent.

The city, where perhaps a street corner evokes fond memories of youth, where the school opens its doors to students chirping like birds into class. There, the trees that were once tiny have grown quickly over time, casting shade over the entire street.

I went to the beach this morning. The waves still gently caressed the white sand. I gazed at my footprints on the sand, remembering the footprints of the past that had been erased by the waves. A single drop of seawater accidentally splashed onto my face. That's how seawater is, forever salty.

KHUE VIET TRUONG

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/sang-tac/202505/thuc-day-cung-thanh-pho-fcc2562/