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Long Bien Bridge in the lens of foreign photographers

Monday, March 3, 2014

The Ministry of Transport and the Hanoi authorities have agreed not to adopt a plan to rebuild the 100-year-old Long Bien Bridge, which has caused controversy among the public in recent days.

The Ministry of Transport had earlier proposed three plans. The first was to build a new bridge exactly where the old one stands, keeping the central part with the railway track intact, and removing other parts of the bridge for preservation.

The second option was to build a new, modern bridge with a similar design to the old one, while the third was to modernize the bridge while retaining parts of the central section and trusses.

The 2,290-m Long Bien Bridge was built between 1899 and 1902 by the French, and opened to traffic in 1903.

As the only bridge across the Red River that connected Hanoi to the highway leading to the northern port city of Hai Phong, the bridge played a crucial role in many important events in the country's history, including the independence wars.

The bridge was initially called the Doumer Bridge. At the time of construction, the over-2km-long bridge was one of the world's largest bridges, one of the most important works of the Far East.

The Doumer Bridge was known as the first steel bridge across the Red River in Hanoi. It was built in 1898 and completed in 1902 by contractor Daydé et Pillé, under the leadership of the Indochina Governor Paul Doumer.

After the country’s liberation, the bridge was renamed Long Bien.

For over 100 years, witnessing a lot of changes since the country's wartime to peacetime, Long Bien Bridge has become a symbol of the history of Vietnam.

The historic bridge in the photos of foreign tourists and journalists: