Spring Train
In the early days of Binh Ngo Spring 2026, Thanh Hoa Station is bustling in the flow of people returning to the cycle of making a living. I was present early, when the spring rain was still drizzling on the station roof, witnessing groups of passengers rushing to pull suitcases, queuing to check tickets, eyes both lingering and excited.
The North-South train quietly waits for the departure time. On the platform, hasty hugs, unfinished instructions, children crying to follow grandparents... all blend together into a spring symphony of many levels. After Tet reunion, everyone has to return to work. Emotions are therefore interwoven between regret and determination.
Stepping onto the train car, I clearly felt the hustle and bustle. Passengers were packed in the compartments. Some arranged luggage on the shelves, some took the opportunity to soothe their children to sleep, and some opened their phones to call home again before the train left the station. Laughter and laughter mixed with the sound of iron wheels scraping on the tracks. Then the train slightly shook itself, slowly rolled, "breaking the night's curtain" towards the South in a thin dusty rain.
The compartment I sit in is a 6-seater bed room, neat bunk beds, clean mattresses, gentle lights. In that small space, strangers quickly become close because of the same journey.
Ms. Nguyen Thanh Vi (resident in Nha Be, Ho Chi Minh City) brought her two young children back after the Tet holiday in her husband's hometown (former Quang Xuong district). She said that this year, although her husband was busy with work, the three mothers and children still arranged to return to their hometown to celebrate Tet with their families. "In recent years, traveling by train has become much more convenient. Facilities have been invested in spaciously, and services have clearly improved. The long journey is therefore also lighter," Ms. Vi shared, still skillfully folding the gift bag from her hometown that still smells of banh chung.
In carriage number 1, near the train head, the dining area is decorated with brilliant Spring colors with apricot blossoms, peach blossoms, and small kumquat trees. In that space, many passengers leisurely enjoy breakfast, sip coffee, and admire through the window the still mist-covered fields. The train passes through each land, leaving behind roofs, riversides, and dark green mountains.
Spring train travel is not only a geographical shift, but also an emotional journey. Each train car is a miniature social cross-section: workers returning to factories, students enrolling in school, young families taking their children to the South to start a career... All carry the expectation of a smooth new year.
Reunion with the renovation train
On another train, from Dong Ha Station to Hanoi Station, I accidentally met Mr. and Mrs. Do Van Muoi, 58 years old, from Phuc Tho district, former Ha Tay - now Hanoi City. They are on a trip to "find their youth" after many decades of making a living.
Mr. Muoi recounted that nearly 40 years ago, he left his hometown to Da Lat to start a business. In his youth, he often traveled by "market train" to the South and North. "In those days, it was very hard. Getting on the train and shaking from one car to another. People hanging hammocks and spreading mats to sleep under chairs was normal. Theft and pickpocketing still occurred, making passengers always vigilant," he recalled, his eyes as if following distant memories.
This time returning to the train after decades, the couple could not hide their bewilderment. Soft seats, cool air-conditioned bedrooms, convenient electrical outlets, modern lighting systems... surprised them. "In the old days, having a hard seat in a refrigerated compartment was already lucky. Now it's completely different," Mr. Muoi smiled.
Mrs. Ho Doan Hong Ngoc, his wife, said that the last time she traveled by train was more than 20 years ago, when the whole family took their young children back to their hometown for Tet. That trip was full of hardship. "Bedding is very rare, the child is still young, the couple almost stayed up all night to look after the child and keep things. Getting on the train is stressful," she recounted.
This return, the first feeling is still hesitation as if old memories are still haunting. But then the change is evident in every detail: clean toilets, professional service staff, guaranteed security. “We are really more reassured. Sitting on the train, looking through the window, seeing overlapping mountains and fields stretching out, we clearly feel how the country is changing. There are things that only trains can fully feel,” Ms. Ngoc said.
Indeed, trains are not only a means of transportation, but also witnesses of time. From cramped, deprived market trains to modern, convenient trains today is a process of persistent renovation of the railway industry and the transformation of the country.
In the sound of iron wheels steadily rolling on the tracks, I think about the long journey of each person. Some people leave their hometowns to start a business and then return after decades. Some people travel back and forth several times a year, so familiar that they consider the train car as part of their lives. But the common point is that on each spring train trip, everyone carries the belief in a good new year.
When the train stopped at a small station in the Central region, I saw a boy face facing the glass door, pointing to the green field. His eyes were clear and eager. Perhaps in a few decades, memories of this Spring train will follow him throughout his life, just like Mr. Muoi still remembers the "market train" of four decades ago.
The renovation train continues to roll, connecting memories and aspirations. Spring on the tracks is therefore not only the color of flowers, the dust, but also the belief in the journey ahead.
