As a resident of Ho Chi Minh City, no one is familiar with the place of Bay Hien Crossroads. This is an important intersection connecting many routes including: Cach Mang Thang Tam, Ly Thuong Kiet, Truong Chinh, Hoang Van Thu.
Although hundreds of years ago, in the above area, many high-rise buildings have been built, the name of the street has also changed, but the name Bay Hien has always been known by the people. In it, there were countless anecdotes rumored that he was a great landowner, owning a field with “storks flying straight”. But there are also people who share that he is just a small trader trading horse grass in the above area, because he has lived for a long time, he is remembered by the people and named this place.
So who is Bay Hien in the end? How to live? Why did his name become so characteristic?…
Following some rare information, we were fortunate to meet his relatives still living around the area and listen to an anecdote regarding this man.
At a small house on Truong Chinh Street (Ward 13, Tan Binh District, Ho Chi Minh City), we met Mr. Tran Van Duc, claiming to be the grandson of Mr. Bay Hien. Over 86 years old, but Mr. Duc is still very sharp, telling an anecdote regarding his grandfather.
Accordingly, Mr. Bay Hien’s real name is Tran Van Hien, was born in a family of more than 10 siblings and died in 1922.
At the time of Mr. Duc’s birth, although he did not witness the establishment of Mr. Bay Hien, the story regarding him was always mentioned by his family. In particular, Mr. Hien used to own a large, wooden villa on Truong Chinh Street. In addition, he also has vast rice fields, storks fly straight from the area of Tan Cha Ca (Tan Binh district) to the present Hoang Hoa Tham street.
Bay Hien’s wealth is so famous that at the end of the rice harvest, he spends an entire yard stretching across the street to dry, the rice pot is also larger than a house.
“Although he has passed away, Mr. Hien still left his wealth to his son – Mr. Tran Van Muc (PV), some of which are divided among his brothers and sisters. Around the villa are beautiful straight cut tea trees. The front of the villa is facing the direction. At the intersection, in front of the three steps leading to the house, there are two large cement pillars, the inside walls are all paved with rare wood, and the communal house pillars are large,” Duc shared.
According to Mr. Duc: “The current relic is Mr. Hien who left my grandparents with a seven-color mother-of-pearl cabinet more than a hundred years old. Particularly, Mr. Hien’s descendants live like princesses and princes. Then there was Ms. Sau Much, who became the second richest person in Saigon, following the famous Chu Hoa for a while…”.
To explain why Mr. Bay Hien became famous, Mr. Duc said that although he was a rich landowner, Mr. Hien loved the poor very much. One day, he posted a news in his diary that a week later he would hold alms.
That morning, the crowd gathered so that the two children were jostled and suffocated and died. Since then, Mr. Hien was sad and did not continue to operate.
“However, he still said by word of mouth that anyone who came to the intersection and said that he would meet Mr. Seven’s house named Hien would be helped …”, Mr. Duc added.
