Hai Duong town in mother's memory

Mom told me that in 1954, my grandfather went to Hai Duong town to make a living, when I was only 6 years old. My grandfather's house was on Nha Tho Street, one of the oldest small streets in the town center at that time. The small street was probably named that because it was near the Catholic church built by the French in the early 20th century. Nha Tho Street had many Catholic families, including families of civil servants and small traders. The residents of Nha Tho Street lived peacefully and closely together. Although my grandfather's family did not follow a religion, the neighborhood was very united, helping each other in times of need.

The church was just a few steps away from my grandfather’s house. In her free time, after finishing her housework, my mother often took her uncles and aunts to play at the church, which had a spacious, quiet and clean playground. To this day, my mother still remembers the melody of the hymns and the sound of the church bells ringing every afternoon.

My mother told me that the town was very small and peaceful at that time. The main roads in the town were only a short drive away. There were very few high-rise buildings on both sides of the road, mostly one-story houses, with simple and small architecture. In the small streets and alleys, there were many houses with thatched roofs or tarpaulin roofs. The tallest in the town was the water tower in the town's Cultural Palace (now the Provincial Children's House). This was also the place where the red flag with a yellow star fluttered on the day the town was liberated on October 30, 1954.

My grandfather taught all the way to Hai Phong and then Hong Chau (Ninh Giang), so my grandmother took care of the housework and raising the children. The sticky rice pot that she sold at the beginning of the street every morning helped them raise 8 successful children. My eldest uncle was the director of a business that was a pioneer in changing the mechanism and doing business effectively in the town in the years 1985-1990. My uncle was a famous table tennis coach in the province, with many contributions and achievements in developing this sport, creating the "table tennis specialty" of Hai Duong. My mother and third aunt were secondary school teachers, my fourth and youngest aunts were both police officers, and my fifth aunt and sixth uncle were employees in the commercial sector.

In primary school, my mother studied at the Con Gai School (now Vo Thi Sau Primary School). My mother said that at that time, the town had a Con Gai School, also called the Girls' Primary School, with all girls, and a Con Trai School (now To Hieu Primary School), also called the Boys' Primary School, with all boys.

Born into a poor family with many children, my mother had to work hard and worry early on. In addition to being the older sister of 6 younger siblings, every morning my mother also delivered newspapers to some offices in the town, and also delivered breakfast bread to the aunts and uncles in those offices.

In 1965, 1966, 1967, my mother studied at Hong Quang High School. The town was no longer as peaceful as before because the US began to escalate the war of bombing the North. The whole town was still steadfast, proud, determined "if the enemy destroys, we will repair it", "live by the bridge and road, die bravely and steadfastly", "if the enemy attacks during the day, we work at night". My mother said that there was a time when the town was empty, almost everyone had been evacuated, only the militia and military units remained. Phu Luong Bridge at that time had five beautifully curved spans, similar in shape to Trang Tien Bridge across the Perfume River in the ancient capital of Hue. My mother often walked across the bridge every time she returned to her hometown.

Around 1966, during the US sabotage campaign, Phu Luong iron bridge was destroyed by bombs, people, vehicles, and trains had to cross the river on pontoon bridges. I could not imagine that during such a fierce, difficult, and deprived wartime, under such a rain of bombs and bullets, our engineers could build a pontoon bridge across Thai Binh river, ensuring that trains transporting goods, weapons, and vehicles could cross the river smoothly and safely.

The successful movement of heavy, bulky freight trains on the railway pontoon bridge under American bombs is a legend. The courage, determination and intelligence of the people created a miracle during the anti-American war right in Hai Duong town. Later, in 1973, Phu Luong iron bridge was rebuilt and has the strong shape it has today.

During her years at Hong Quang School, my mother taught evening cultural classes to the people (and some cadres) in Zone 5, Quang Trung Ward. She also participated in public service work (washing gravel and rocks) to serve the construction of the Provincial Party Hall, and urged people to participate in the morning exercise movement in residential areas. These social activities helped my mother grow up a lot...

My mother's memories of Hai Duong town are just a few highlights in a difficult, arduous but heroic historical journey of her homeland.

Hai Duong City is different now. When telling stories of the past, I often see in my mother's eyes a sparkling joy, like pride, like the love she has for the city and passed on to us.