Cau Dat Street is the central street, in an important position of Hai Phong city. The street has changed direction many times and up to now, the street starts from Trai Linh intersection, where Lach Tray, Le Loi, To Hieu streets intersect, extending to Cau Dat, Hoang Van Thu, Tran Phu intersection. Cau Dat Street used to belong to Gia Vien and An Bien communes, before the city was liberated (in 1955) it belonged to the Ga area. When it first opened, the street was named after the Governor General of Indochina, Pon Dume (Avenue Paul Doumer). However, at that time, Hai Phong people called it Cau Dat Street. In 1946, the street was named Ho Chi Minh Boulevard. In 1954, the street was renamed Tran Hung Dao. In 1963, it was called Cau Dat again until now.

According to the book “Encyclopedia of Place Names of Hai Phong”, the reason why the street is called Cau Dat is because in the past, between the two villages of An Bien and Gia Vien, there was a small creek called Liem Khe, which was a tributary of the Tam Bac River flowing into the Cam River. This creek was the predecessor of the Bonnal Canal, dug in 1885. Across the creek, in the area of ​​the current flower shop, there was a small bamboo bridge, with the surface covered with earth, so the people called it Cau Dat. The street name originated from that. Later, the French replaced the earth bridge with an iron bridge, called the Dume Bridge. In 1925, when filling the Bonnal Canal, the iron bridge was removed.

Cau Dat Street stands out with two rows of purple Lagerstroemia. Photo: VU LAM

Although Cau Dat Street is only about 650m long, it is a very busy street, with a high population density and many famous products. People also call this the street of imported goods. Many entrepreneurs who started trading in gold, silver and precious stones from this land have built their careers, names and stature in the industry. Walking along the street, the gold shops are close together, sparkling with the typical rich faces of the port city. The shop owners here are extremely excited when introducing the quality products and prestigious brands they own. Ms. Nguyen Le Chan, a child born and raised in the neighborhood, said that when talking about the old Cau Dat Street, it is impossible not to mention Mai Linh bookstore, the "golden cradle" of the past for authors and works, both a bookstore and a publishing house, this is a revolutionary base. She could not hide her emotions when talking about the glorious past of Cau Dat, a land that endured many bombs while nurturing and protecting patriots in its heart.

Spending time wandering around Cau Dat Street, I was attracted and amazed to hear interesting stories at each store, the origin of the existing brand of goods. The people of the neighborhood are always full of pride in the delicious, premium dishes that make a strong impression on their neighborhood, not only the people of Hai Phong but also tourists from all over the world come to enjoy and choose to buy. My friends from Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Quang Ninh... when coming to the port city often ask to be taken to eat Ba Cu's rice noodles. I am not surprised by those requests, because this is an address that is loved, recognized and spread by "travel" enthusiasts. Ba Cu's rice noodles is one of the first rice noodles shops in Hai Phong, and has been for more than 50 years. Entering the restaurant, people immediately feel the rich flavor of the sea, captivating the sight and smell. After a period of eagerly waiting, when the waiter brings out the food, customers will immediately be attracted by the color of the crab noodle bowl. Each brown noodle is characteristically chewy and delicious, blending with the rich sweet flavor of shrimp, sea crab, onions, pork rinds... Because it is a reputable restaurant, the number of customers is quite large, if you come at peak times, there may be no seats left.

Under the purple Lagerstroemia trees, I am very familiar with the image of women standing, waving, smiling, inviting passersby to buy fried cakes. When I first knew Cau Dat Street, when I went to buy fried cakes, I curiously asked, why are the stalls on the other side and this one labeled Ba Lang fried cakes? The saleswoman smiled and replied, I didn't know this is a famous candy street, including Ba Lang fried cakes? Ba Lang fried cakes have been a brand for a long time. Most of the people selling here don't make cakes, and Ba Lang doesn't make cakes anymore, only her children and grandchildren do. And everyone buys cakes to sell there. Because in the past, Cau Dat Street was full of children of officials and wealthy merchants, so every dish had to be really delicious, special, even snacks, if they weren't really delicious, how could they sell to people who were both rich and gourmet and picky.

Mrs. Lang had to work hard to knead and process the fried cakes with thin, fragrant, crispy crust and smooth filling. The fried cakes she made were easy to eat and not greasy. At that time, she wrapped the fried cakes in leaves, but now people put them in plastic boxes for convenience. In the past, buying fried cakes from Cau Dat Street as a gift was considered a luxury. Nowadays, economic life is developing, there are many restaurants and delicious food, but visitors from all over the world who come to Hai Phong to play or travel still stop by to buy fried cakes from Mrs. Lang to enjoy. In addition, when talking about cakes from Cau Dat Street, we must definitely mention moon cakes. Fried cakes are bought all year round, while moon cakes are bought a lot around this holiday. If you stand on Cau Dat Street for the first time on busy days when people and vehicles come to buy and order moon cakes, you will definitely be surprised by the strange attraction of Dong Phuong bakery. I stood there, stunned, as before my eyes, a long line of people lined up from the bakery to the end of the street. Dusty, noisy, busy as they were, they still patiently waited their turn just to buy a bag of Dong Phuong mooncakes. During peak times, they sometimes had to wait for half a day. Yet every year I saw this crowded, bustling situation repeated.

Cau Dat Street still has many interesting and interesting things if someone wants to learn and go against the flow of its development. The street's face is interwoven with the splendor of the times, along with beautiful cultural values ​​and marks, precious traditional crafts. Over time, the small street has changed a lot, the rows of purple Lagerstroemia trees spreading across the street roof have only been in recent years. There is always a beginning, then there is a continuation. Maybe from now on, Cau Dat Street will have more special features when people remember and want to call it a unique name. I want to add a name to Cau Dat Street as the purple Lagerstroemia street. It seems that it is that purple umbrella that makes the street more complete and beautiful. In the city of Red Flamboyant, people do not choose Flamboyant flowers, but choose purple Lagerstroemia trees to plant in Cau Dat. In my personal opinion, this choice is completely appropriate. The charming purple color is suitable for the neighborhood of many memories. A flower that is both bold and elegant, graceful and profound, just like the street it is taking root in and relying on to grow every day. The purple-eyed flower evokes in people so many memories, so many stories, so many journeys of development, perfection, and creating the value of life...

Notes by TRAN NGOC MY