A walk or bicycle ride across the 1.7km span of the Long Bien Bridge is a great thing to do during a visit to hanoi.
The turn of the 20th century was one of the most confident and ambitious times of the French colonial project in terms of infrastructure and building. The Governor General of Indochina at the time, Paul Doumer, had grand plans for his colonies and he was ready to impose all manner of hardship on the local people in taxes and forced labour to see them realised.
Many of the grandest buildings in the capital were constructed in the first decade of the 20th century – including the Metropole Hotel and the Governor General’s Residence (now the Presidential Palace). No project was more ambitious from an engineering perspective than the cantilevered bridge across the Red River, viet nam. In his modesty, the Governor General named the bridge after himself – the Paul Doumer bridge.
The bridge played an important role in Doumer’s plans to secure territory and expand trade into the northern reaches of the country. It served important symbolic and functional roles for the French.
Following his return home to France, Doumer went on to become President. He was assassinated in 1931.
After independence from France in 1954, the Paul Doumer bridge became the Long Bien Bridge and by the 1960s, it was a key piece of military infrastructure – connecting Hanoi with the port of Haiphong. It came under frequent US attack and was disabled in a 1972 US bombing raid. It carries the scars of numerous direct hits. Dedicated teams worked assiduously to repair the bridge after each bombing to keep vital supply lines open.
These days, the bridge is used only by rail, two wheeled and foot traffic. It’s a great place for viewing the dramatic Red River summer sunset.
Read more: The beauty of Ham Rong Mountain in sa pa, Lao Cai
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