Perspectives

The happy season has come

MAI AN January 27, 2025 05:30

Thank you for the trips that brought us back home to celebrate Tet, to love our homeland and the country more. The season of joy has come.

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Trains in the middle of spring

I am writing these lines on the SE7 train running across the country, on my journey to visit my maternal hometown on the days before Tet.

Seeing me off on the train was the Hue train station, resplendent with yellow chrysanthemums that perfectly matched the red of the national flag, lanterns hanging high on the platform, and the chatter and laughter of passengers. Outside the train window, it was still hot and sunny.

Along with us, there were also passengers from European countries eagerly waiting for the Thong Nhat train to depart. “We stayed in Vietnam for nearly a month. At the end of the trip, we were lucky to choose the journey to explore Vietnam during Tet – this is a beautiful memory for me”, Angelie, a tourist from France said excitedly.

And like Angelie, I feel incredibly lucky to be on this journey.

The train passed through Dong Ha, Dong Hoi, then Vinh, Thanh Hoa… I eagerly captured with my camera the many changes of the journey I had taken many times with my mother. These were the vast, green fields, replacing the tiny checkerboard squares of the days when I was still a small-scale farmer. These were the wide, open bridges and roads. And countless high-rise buildings, apartments, and cities… passed by the train window.

Looking across the country, I am even more moved, missing the old trips with my mother. In my childhood memories, I still see the passenger trains packed with people, goods, and the smell of engine oil, cigarette smoke... My mother always had to hold my hand tightly, carrying all kinds of belongings and gifts. It took a whole week of preparation, rolling around on trains and buses, for my mother and I to return to our hometown for Tet, then we hurriedly lined up, jostled to get on the train, got off the bus to return to our new homeland. Every year, my mother brought along rice balls and sesame salt in case the train had to increase the tip, so that my mother and I would have something to eat. One year, I came from the sunny and windy Central region with only a few thin pieces of clothing, and encountered the drizzle and cold wind in my hometown, making my teeth chatter.

The soulful melody of the song “Tàu anh qua nui” by musician Phan Lac Hoa resounded as the train slowly passed Hai Van Pass, moving all passengers. Since the first train connecting North and South in 1976, every time we left each station, we had to wait 3-4 hours to continue. My parents – farmers from Ninh Giang (Hai Duong) who worked in the new economic zone – did not know how much time they had spent on their journeys back home?

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The scent of spring and the taste of Tet are coming to every home and every street.

Now, too much has changed.

In the train, there were passengers talking to French friends. Someone was talking about the dynamic and creative Vietnamese farmers who changed their crops so that Vietnam became the third largest rice exporter in the world.

Then there was the story of Vietnamese coffee, when the ship staff pushed a cart of fragrant coffee over to offer to guests. Angelie nodded and praised Vietnamese coffee, which has been exported to more than 80 countries...

And the stories of the trips.

A French friend is talking about TGV high-speed trains - a type of electric train, usually used to transport passengers on routes within France as well as connecting with neighboring countries. TGV reached a maximum speed of 574.8 km/h in 2007. On passenger trips, TGV runs at an average speed of 320 km/h...

I have imagined that the Thong Nhat trains will run even faster, just like many people are looking forward to “having breakfast in Hanoi, having coffee in Saigon”. My journey back to my hometown Ninh Giang every year may only be as long as an afternoon nap.

The road back to my hometown is so close. And all my worries are gone, my hometown is green and prosperous right after storm number 3. Through the phone, I saw everyone, every household bustling and bustling with peach blossoms, flowers, banh chung, and pork… I even saw big, beautiful yellow apricot trees – which are only seen in the South, now being easily transported to my hometown.

My heart flutters thinking about new things, I feel the scent of Spring, the taste of Tet has come to every train passing by, to every house.

The new season of joy is coming, starting with new hopes.

MAI AN
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The happy season has come