The Sat River flows forever

The gentle small river flowing through the heart of the city contains many historical and cultural values ​​of the ancient Thanh Dong land and present Hai Duong city.

I was born and raised in Hai Duong City. The city was once an ancient, beautiful and peaceful town. If many people always have a river or a wharf in their hearts, then for me it is the Sat River flowing through the heart of the city. My childhood and that of many friends of the same age were closely linked to the river here.

Later, through documents, I learned that this place was a part of the ancient Thanh Dong. As if by chance, the Sat River branched out when it reached Hai Duong City, going deep into the heart of the city, many people called it the Bach Dang River.

More than 200 years ago, when Thanh Dong was founded, workers from all over came to the riverside to settle down and expand their business. Gradually, a residential center called Dong Kieu Street was formed, stretching from Dong My (Thong Nhat Square) to Tu Tan (Tam Giang Street). Craft streets such as Hang Dong, Hang Long, and Hang Bac were also bustling along the river.

In the 20s of the 20th century, when the French built Thanh Dong, they built works facing the Sat River. The urban space of Hai Duong City through each historical period then also revolved around this river axis because it was convenient for travel, traffic, economic development and political requirements. This was the prime location of the city, the most bustling place of Thanh Dong in the past.

The elders recounted that in the past, the river water was clear and flowing strongly. For many generations of the town’s residents, this small river was a sweet memory, a place where on hot summer afternoons, children would go to the river to cool off or hug banana trees to learn to swim. There was also the sound of mats being slapped on the river, so peaceful and tranquil. In the evening, especially on hot summer nights, people would go to the riverbank to sit and enjoy the breeze.

The other side of the river (now Chuong Duong street) used to be a field, later there was the Goc Mit hamlet with a few lonely houses. People in the hamlet had to take a boat to get to the city. At night, looking across the river, one could only see the vast wilderness. The smell of grass, straw, and mud wafted over. We kids called that rustic smell “the scent of the fields”. Late at night, one could hear the sound of frogs and insects. During the day, one could see the fluttering of storks.

During harvest time, the rice fields on the other side of the river were golden, the whole golden field was shining brightly in the sky. During the days off from school, I often sat alone for hours watching that golden color, then imagined the bustling rice harvest scene. At that time, there were a few people in Quang Trung street near my house who also had rice fields, they were real farmers. During harvest time, the golden rice was carried back to the city. There was a "village in the city" of the small town. That is to say, Hai Duong town at that time was very simple, honest, rustic but also very peaceful and quiet.

Then the river was straightened, the water of the Thai Binh River did not flow directly, there was no longer any worry of the flood breaking the dike. People destroyed the river embankment to make a sidewalk for pedestrians, the remaining trace was the row of ancient rosewood trees planted in the 60s of the last century, when Uncle Ho launched the Tree Planting Festival. On the other side of the river, the fields were transformed into a city, the Hong Quang bridge connected the two banks.

And now, the “Bach Dang walking street and night market” attracts people to come and have fun along both banks of the river every week. This is the first walking street and night market in the province, to meet the needs of people to experience, admire and enjoy the nightlife.

The Sat River is still a prime location of the city, the busiest place of Thanh Dong. The river branch is considered the soul of the city when it is closely linked to the development and expansion here. Young people come here for entertainment. People of the older generation come here to reminisce about the past in the present space, reminisce about the old Sat River. And visitors from afar will clearly feel the soul of Thanh Dong, the connection between Thanh Dong in the past - Hai Duong today.

As for me, every time I come here, I choose to stand on Hong Quang bridge to look at the whole river to love my hometown city more and remember... "The river is like that person, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, sometimes jealous/ Only childhood love can see/ Oh those paper boats/ Where have the years of childhood gone/ Leaving me alone to miss them now..." - the lyrics of the song "Returning to the river of childhood" by musician Hoang Hiep always hum in me.