Long Bien Bridge - 1902 - Hanoi, Vietnam - Bridge Date Stones and Plaques on Waymarking.com

This bridge is now somewhat dilapidated, but has a long and interesting history.

Long Bien Bridge was constructed at the end of the 19th century by the then French colonial rulers of Vietnam. It connects western Hanoi, one of the major population and economic centres of Vietnam, over the Red River, to the deep water port of the Gulf of Tonkin, and to regions in the north of the country, plus through to China. Its total length, depending on how that is calculated, is ~2.5 kilometres, though the length over the River itself is approximately 1km. The construction of the Bridge was partly prompted by economics, trade with the north of Vietnam and to China, but also by colonial ambition, a symbol of empire, so to speak. The construction was instigated by Paul Doumer (1857-1932), who the Governor General of Indochina from 1897 to 1902 (and later the President of France).

The bridge was designed and built by the French architects of Daydé & Pillé. It proved to be a popular and well used bridge. Prior to Vietnamese independence, the bridge was known as the Doumer Bridge. On the western side of the bridge is a bus and train station. Parking is available at the bus station (coords below).

The bridge continued to be functional in the post-French era. This led to a determined and partially successful attempt to destroy the bridge during the Vietnam War (or the American War as the Vietnamese refer to the conflict) by the US Air Force. Signs of this damage are visible on the bridge as new and varied materials were used to patch the structure.

Today the bridge is in busy use, with trains and vehicular traffic (mostly motorbikes), plus pedestrians. Little old ladies have set up shop on the bridge, cooking various dishes ranging from simple barbecued corn on the cob (yum) to, sometimes, cooked dog meat on a stick (a Vietnamese dish). There are also families living under the bridge, and fisherman using the bridge as a base of operations.

There are at least three identical date plaques on the bridge. The plaque listed here as the default image is the first plaque you will sea approaching crossing the bridge from the west. The west being the city centre.

Date built or dedicated as indicated on the date stone or plaque.: 1902 Date stone, plaque location.: On major pylons. Road, body of water, land feature, etc. that the bridge spans.: Red River Parking (safe parking location): N 21° 02.460 W 105° 50.988 Website (if available): Not listed

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Date Logged Log   07/28/2022 Tommy_Laura visited it 03/22/2015 Castor007 visited it

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