France wants to repair Vietnam’s century-long Long Bien Bridge

Duy Nguyen

Apr 02, 2021 / 08:04 PM

After a century of change, the bridge remains Hanoi’s iconic structure.

France expects to participate in the repair of Long Bien Bridge, the iconic work of Hanoi that was built in late 19th century by French.

French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery (left) and Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh. Photo: Kinhtedothi

The government of France wants to make significant contribution to rehabilitating Long Bien Bridge, French Ambassador to Vietnam Nicolas Warnery said at a meeting with Chairman of the Hanoi People’s Committee Chu Ngoc Anh.

Renovating the bridge will highlight the historic monument of Vietnam and Hanoi in particular.

Chu Ngoc Anh said restoring symbolic cultural heritages is set among the city’s long-term strategies to maintain the image of the thousand-year-old city.

At the meeting, Nicolas Warnery and Chu Ngoc Anh talked of other fields of common interest namely the speeding up of the metro line 3 Nhon-Hanoi Train Station financed by the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and the French Development Agency for the operations by end-2021, technical support on sustainable urban management covering solutions for air pollution, urban traffic, and waste.

Further cooperation

Long Bien Bridge in stamp in the French colonialism. File photo

Long Bien Bridge, crossing the Red River, was built between 1898 and 1902 under the French colonialism.

With a rail track and two road lanes, the bridge measures 1,680m between abutments and originally comprised 19 spans, alternately 106m and 75m long, making it, at the time of construction, the longest cantilever suspension bridge in the world.

At the beginning of the 20th century Long Bien was the longest and most beautiful steel bridge in Indochina, according to the National Archive.

The bridge has a chequered history as it suffered repeated bombing and hasty repair during the the war. The bridge has undergone two refurbishments since its construction, the first in 1897 and the second in 1952. After more than hundred years, the structure is in a precarious state of repair.