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.

Kien Trung