“Making-up” for ancient bridge in cold spell

A dozen of workers devoted themselves to beautify the Long Bien Bridge, a historical relic of Hanoi, in the coldest spell of the year.

VietNamNet Bridge – A dozen of workers devoted themselves to beautify the Long Bien Bridge, a historical relic of Hanoi, in the coldest spell of the year.

Long Bien Bridge is a historic cantilever bridge across the Red River that connects two parts of the capital city of Hanoi. It was originally called Paul Doumer Bridge.

It was built in 1903 by the architects of Daydé & Pillé, a French company. Before Vietnam's independence in 1954, it was called Doumer Bridge, named after Paul Doumer - The Governor-General of French Indochina and then French president. It was, at that time, one of the longest bridges in Asia with the length of 2,500 m. For the French colonial government, the construction of the bridge was of strategic importance in securing control of northern Vietnam. From 1899 to 1902, more than 3,000 Vietnamese took part in the construction.

It was heavily bombarded during Vietnam War due to its critical position (the only bridge at that time across the Red River and connect Hanoi to the main port Haiphong). The first attack took place in 1967, and the center span of the bridge was felled by an attack by 20 USAF F-105 Fighters. The defense of Long Bien Bridge continues to play a large role in Hanoi’s self-image and is often extolled in poetry and song. It was rendered unusable for a year when, in May 1972, it fell victim to one of the first coordinated attacks using laser-guided "smart bombs".

The bridge now stands like a patched-up war veteran. Some parts of the original structure remain intact, while large sections were clearly built later to repair the holes. In this way the bridge is a strong visual expression of history. Only half of the bridge retains its original shape. A project with support and loans from the French government is currently in progress to restore the bridge to its original appearance.

Today trains, mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians use the dilapidated bridge, while all other traffic is diverted to the nearby Chuong Duong Bridge and some newly built bridges: Thanh Tri Bridge, Thang Long Bridge, Vinh Tuy Bridge, and Nhat Tan Bridge.

Long Bien bridge, which is over 100 years old, is annually painted several times during important events.

Workers committed themselves to the job in the piercing cold.