Land of memories - Quang Binh Electronic Newspaper

1. That morning, by the Nhat Le River, I saw an old man leaning against a memorial stele for those who died in the April 1965 bombing. His hair was as white as the morning dew, his cloudy eyes staring out into the vast expanse of water.

Mr. Nguyen - a man who has gone through the years of war and war, spending his whole life in this city, has witnessed the ups and downs of life in the river and the city. "Dong Hoi was once so devastated that it seemed impossible to revive", his voice was hoarse, like the wind blowing through an old memory. He said that there were mornings when he woke up and saw that Dong Hoi was nothing but ashes, people calling each other in panic, children crying amidst what was left. But right on that desolation, the people of Dong Hoi still stood up steadfastly. They lived, built, and fought, because no one could abandon their homeland. This land constantly rose from the ashes, from the losses, from what seemed to have been swept away forever by war.

After the peace, Mr. Nguyen and the soldiers returned, together with the villagers, cleared away the rubble, built up each section of road, and rebuilt each roof. He clearly remembers the day he planted the first rows of trees on Quang Trung Street, in the middle of the streets that were still desolate from the smell of gunpowder. The trees grew over the years, spreading shade over a stretch of road.

The love for Dong Hoi of people like Mr. Nguyen does not need to be expressed in words. It lies in every hoe plunged into the ground, in the drops of sweat flowing in the midday sun, in the eyes filled with tears when witnessing the city revive day by day. It was also him, who had many times felt tears in his eyes when seeing the rows of trees he had planted fall after each storm. But then, after the storm, people planted again, the trees grew again, the streets revived. Just like this Dong Hoi - a city that was once in ruins, once thought to be in ruins but still strongly rose up brilliantly.

2. Among the revived streets, there is a small corner that still retains its nostalgic features, a place where anyone who loves Dong Hoi can visit - the old bookstore on Ly Thuong Kiet Street. No bright sign, no large space, just an old room with wooden shelves full of books, the smell of yellowed paper permeating every corner, creating a peaceful corner in the heart of the city that is growing every day.

That bookstore has been here for nearly 30 years, witnessing the changes of Dong Hoi from the quiet days to the bustling streets. It has gone through the dusty sunny seasons, the drizzly rainy seasons, quietly sheltering the dreams of book lovers. The owner of the store is an old lady over 60 years old, thin but her eyes are still unusually warm. Every day, she still sits there quietly, among the small stacks of books, waiting for customers to come by not only to find a book, but sometimes, also to find a bit of peace in the hustle and bustle of life.

She said that many people advised her to close the shop, because now everyone can read books through the phone screen, who would have the patience to turn each page stained with time? But she just smiled, saying that when the burden of making a living was no longer weighing on her, she still wanted to keep this small bookstore, simply because her love for Dong Hoi was deeply imprinted in her mind. She was used to sitting quietly in the mornings watching the streets gradually wake up, used to the sound of the wind blowing through the old wooden door, used to the simple joy when someone found a book they loved and smiled with satisfaction.

There are days when only a few people come to the bookstore. Sometimes, customers don’t buy anything, just stop, flip through a few pages and then leave. But she’s not sad. Because she believes that no matter how life changes, there will still be people who love books. And no matter how many big roads open up, there will still be small turns leading to old things. I often visit her bookstore whenever my heart is filled with worries. Sometimes not to buy anything, just to sit down, inhale the smell of old paper, and listen to her tell stories about Dong Hoi in the past. In each of her stories, I see a peaceful, simple Dong Hoi and a sparkling, proud love for the city.

3. Thao's coffee shop is located humbly on the corner of Nguyen Du Street, quietly like a low note amidst the hustle and bustle of the small city. I often visit the shop on busy days, just to find a quiet moment for myself, to sit by the window watching the treetops sway in the sea breeze, to inhale the scent of coffee mixed with the melodious music of Trinh.

Thao, a girl born and raised in Dong Hoi, once spent years away from her hometown to study and work in a big city. But then, amidst the busy days in a foreign land, she realized that her heart still yearned for the small coastal roads, the drizzly rainy days on the deserted streets and the peaceful feeling that could not be found anywhere else. “I used to think I would stay in the big city,” Thao said, her hands quickly making a cup of shimmering brown coffee, “but then I realized that the place that makes me happiest is still my hometown.”

She chose a small corner in her hometown to open a shop, not fancy, not flashy. Just a simple space, with simple wooden tables, green pots of plants quietly growing by the window, with the fragrant smell of roasted coffee as a greeting every morning. Thao's coffee shop is not for those in a hurry, but a meeting place for souls who like to calm down. There, there are old customers slowly sipping hot tea, listening to old stories; there are young people coming to enjoy the familiar taste of the coastal city, to read a few pages of a book or simply to sit there, letting their hearts drift to each slow-flowing melody.

“I just hope Dong Hoi can always maintain this peace,” Thao said, her eyes shining with love. It turns out that love for one’s homeland is not simply hidden in old memories or things that have passed, but also in the small dreams that people entrust to it – like the way Thao keeps a gentle little corner in the heart of the city, to grow up with this city.

There are many ways to love a city. Old people love Dong Hoi with deep memories of the past. I love Dong Hoi with childhood memories.

And Thao - a young girl, loves Dong Hoi with dreams that are growing every day, with the desire to keep a small corner of peace amidst the constant changes of the city. Love for a land is not something big. Sometimes, it is as simple as the way Mr. Nguyen cherishes each tree on Quang Trung Street, the way the bookstore owner keeps the old wooden shelves, or the way Thao carefully saves each coffee bean to bring a moment of peace to the souls who love the city.

And I still believe, no matter how far away, there will always be a place of nostalgia that holds back the footsteps after the ups and downs of life.

Dieu Huong

Source: https://www.baoquangbinh.vn/van-hoa/202503/mien-thuong-nho-2225155/