We visited my wife
home town Da Nang
and it was my turn to visit my home town Nha Trang. The ship docked at Stone Bridge
Port ( Cang Cau Da ) after
leaving Da Nang
and one sea day. I was pretty excited to see Nha Trang again after my
last visit there in 1994. I was the first group to exit the ship, step on
tender boat for the port. When I got there, I immediately noticed the
changes. Back in 1994 when I first went home, the port was a remote place
with a lone "108 Brother" Hai Nam
Temple and several
souvenir shops selling lobster and crab shells to tourists. Now it is a
town with crowded housings, shops, restaurants and busy streets. Our
friend, Mr. Vincent Vuong, was there to pick us up.
We first stopped at
Dam Market for fish soup noodle, Vietnamese baguette and banh can. After
street food breakfast, I stopped by my houses and requested the occupants
to allow me to get inside. They gladly obligated. The two houses my parents
built in 1970 are now converted to apartments with multiple units. The
stairs now serve as public stairs to get access to the units. A lot of
changes noticed inside but I still recognized the spots I used to sleep,
play and study as a kid in that lovely house. It hurts to see what used
to be a beautiful, spacious private residence now becomes a cramped
"apartment". I took several pictures and left. While I was at
Dam Market, I met two of my Khai Minh classmates. It was a short meeting
but we treasured every minute of it.
After Dam Market, we
walked along Phan Boi Chau
Street where I walked daily on my way to
school in the 60's and 70's. There are changes but I still recognized
several houses and landmarks there such as Bac Ai Circle and Ba Thai Well. Vincent
also drove us around town and visited our old school. I had a chance to
talk with the principal and see pre 1975 Khai Minh campus. It's basically
the same campus minus the basketball court. They now use it as school
playground. Vincent also brought us to post 1975 Khai Minh school. The
new Khai Minh school is a newly built 4-story building serving Nha Trang
residents for their Chinese study after work. I salute our Khai Minh
alumni worldwide for their hard work to build this school and to keep the
name Khai Minh alive!
We had lunch at Lang
Xua Restaurant in Nha Trang suburban. This restaurant has beautiful lotus
pond setting. I had a chance to meet my distanced nephew for the very
first time here. This is not a tourist place so the price was pretty reasonable
for 4-people lunch. It is always good to have local leading the way!
After lunch, Vincent
showed us his company and huge factory at Suoi Dau Industrial Zone per my
request. He walked us around and explained how his business operates. His
business had up and down moments but now, everything seems to be in order
thanks to his leadership and an efficient system. To me, the keys to his
business success are his kindness to employees and his ability to pick
the right man for the right position. When the owner treats his employees
nice, he gets their loyalty. When the owner chooses the right man for the
right position, he gets the job done efficiently. I met Vincent several
times when he came to Los
Angeles. This trip was the first time I spent
significant time with him which gave me a chance to know him better. With
what he has achieved, he can easily brag, show off and act like a big
shot. He doesn't. In fact, he is one of the most humble CEOs and
businessmen I have the pleasure to be friend with. I am glad our Khai
Minh community has such an outstanding man. Not surprisingly, Vincent is
one of Khai Minh alumni participating in building post 1975 Khai Minh
school.
I had only less than
a day in Nha Trang so I couldn't see the city the way I wanted to. I
didn't have time to walk on the beach and see the spot I used to gather
with my childhood friends for morning swim; I didn't have a chance to
submerge myself in sea water of Nha Trang beach to find the feeling I had
lost; I hadn't walked along Doc Lap Street in the heart of Nha Trang
downtown to re-live my memories there as a kid; I still had yet to try
many, many local street foods I wanted to. However, I saw Nha Trang
transforms itself from a peaceful, small coastal town to a busy tourist
city. The old Nha Trang is now gone. I miss my old Nha Trang dearly but I
have to accept the fact and move on.
Dennis
Phan 潘家墉
Khai Minh, UCLA and Investools
Alumni
Los
Angeles, 25 May 2019
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