I love Nha Trang beach.

"My homeland, with its green coconut trees, azure sky, and gentle waves."

Oh, the blue autumn sky, dissolving in the shimmering blue waves...

In my childhood memories, Nha Trang was a landscape of greenery, like the lyrics of the song "I Wish to Be a Wave" by composer Do Tri Dung.

I grew up in a housing complex for poor civil servant families. Our childhood was intertwined with the lush, cool coconut trees that stretched from one end of the village to the other. Under the shade of the coconut trees, on hot summer afternoons, we would often skip our afternoon naps and invent all sorts of games like jump rope, hide-and-seek, and can-throwing. We would pick coconut leaves and make pinwheels, watches, and many other toys. Children back then were so much fun, inventing so many games themselves, unlike today's kids who bury their heads in smartphones whenever they have free time.

Our childhood was, of course, closely associated with the blue of the sea. Our house was near the sea, so whenever we had time, we would go there. The sea was where we could enjoy gazing at the sky and the ocean, relax after tiring school hours; it was where we could swim to our heart's content in the summer. Even now, I am still captivated by the blue of the sky and the sea, especially on sunny days when the sea has an unusually beautiful blue, a beauty that I lack the words to fully describe.

But the Nha Trang sea back then wasn't just beautiful in its daytime blue. At night, the Nha Trang sea of yesteryear was also stunning, shimmering with starlight, just like the lyrics of the song , "The night's starlight shimmers like your eyes still waiting...". Perhaps later generations can't imagine what that "shimmering starlight" was like. It wasn't the dazzling light from streetlights or decorative lights from high-rise buildings like today. It was the sparkling light from the stars in the moonless night sky, from the lights of fishing boats far out at sea. The entire sea shimmered like that at night, making us children gasp in admiration. The sea back then was still unspoiled, but beautiful because of things like that.

Nha Trang, my hometown, is now 100 years old. If Nha Trang of the past was like a beautiful, simple, and gentle young woman, then Nha Trang of today is a mature, youthful, and dynamic girl. However, despite many changes, Nha Trang still retains its peaceful and charming nature, captivating the hearts of many. The Nha Trang sea is always beautiful in everyone's eyes. The sea is memory, the present, and the future. Every time I go to the beach, I see my childhood there. In the blink of an eye, my childhood friends are now turning gray…

"Even though I may be far from here, my heart will still hear the waves lapping against my soul."

The gentle waves lull like a cradle through the years.

My beloved Nha Trang, I vow to live by your side.

Nha Trang, so dear to us, we sing songs of praise.

I wish to be like the white waves that follow one another, crashing against the shore.

"My heart still loves you deeply…".

Yes. I still love, and will always love, Nha Trang, my beloved hometown.

MAI VIET

Source