Spanning the Red River, Long Bien Bridge has witnessed Hanoi’s history and preserved its culture for more than a century.

Spanning the Red River, Long Bien Bridge has witnessed Hanoi’s history and preserved its culture for more than a century.

As modern bridges rise one after another in Hanoi, Long Bien keeps its own charm. Photo: Tat Son/VNP

Seen from a distance, Long Bien Bridge appears as a slender steel structure stretching across the Red River. Its spans bear the strong yet elegant European architecture of the late 19th century.

Designed and built from 1898 to 1902 by the French company Eiffel, Long Bien was the first steel bridge over the Red River, which is an engineering marvel 1,600 meters long with 19 spans.

Sunset over century-old Long Bien Bridge. Photo: Tat Son/VNP

Long Bien has witnessed the capital city’s changes over three centuries. Photo: Tran Thanh Giang/VNP

The bridge has railroad tracks down the middle, flanked by pedestrian paths and lanes for vehicles. In the early days, trains crossing the river and vendors carrying goods on the bridge captured the bustle of Hanoi’s urban life.

Not only reflecting Hanoi’s daily routines, Long Bien was imprinted by traces of the capital’s history, witnessing the historic days of the nation during the August Revolution in 1945. It was a key path via which people flocked to Ba Dinh Square to celebrate Independence Day on September 2, 1945. Nine years later, it witnessed the withdrawal of the French troops from Hanoi and welcomed Vietnamese soldiers to take over the city in October 1954.

 

During the resistance war against American imperialism, Long Bien was a vital transport route and thus was a target of severe bombings. Its spans were destroyed but were repaired and rebuilt by those guarding the bridge thanks to whom the city’s crucial transport link remained open.

Long Bien Bridge lives on in Hanoi’s memory through history and everyday scenes: train whistles, vendors at dawn, workers crossing the bridge by foot or bicycle, and couples’ dates by windswept railings.

Hanoi has changed with modern bridges rising one after another and new urban centers expanding to the Red River area. Yet, century-old Long Bien bridge keeps its own charm, connecting Hanoi’s past and present. From it, one can see a Hanoi of layers: the Old Quarter’s tightly packed rooftops, an open river, a lush alluvial islet and a changing modern city.

After more than 120 years, Long Bien has degraded and needs major repairs. Its preservation and restoration have become a growing public concern with specialists arguing the bridge should be viewed as an urban heritage, given its architectural, historical and cultural values.

Long Bien carries stories of war and peace, preserving memories of a city shaped by historical changes. The weathered steel spans shake every time a train crosses the bridge as the Red River flows on underneath, triggering rich memories of old Hanoi.

Story: Tran Thanh Giang Photos: Tat Son & Tran Thanh Giang/VNP