Long Bien Bridge - History witness

The Indochina Governor General Bridge project was approved in 1897, with major French road and bridge building corporations participating. Mr. Paul Doumer, the Governor General of Indochina, stated before the construction of the Long Bien bridge that a bridge across the Red River was necessary and would demand a significant expenditure. Many people opposed Paul Doumer's plan, but the bridge is still being built since it will help the community in the future. The construction of the bridge began in 1899.

The bridge was given the name Doumer Bridge from the start, in honor of Mr. Paul Doumer. After 1954, the Hanoi Governor, Doctor Tran Van Lai, changed the bridge's name to Long Bien, which it still bears today..

Many people still assume that the famed architect Gustave Eiffel, the "father" of the Eiffel Tower, designed Long Bien Bridge. Gustave Eif- fel's business did make a bid, but it was rejected in the first round. The winning firm, Daydé & Pillé, was tasked with designing the Long Bien bridge. Long Bien bridge building necessitates a large number of laborers as well as a team of directors and engineers. Al- though the bridge was supposed to be finished in five years, it took just three years and nine months.

At the time, the Long Bien Bridge was a regional and international enterprise. The bridge has a total length of 2,290 meters and is made up of 19 spans of long steel girders supported by 20 tall pillars. The western bridgehead is also accessible by an 896-meter stone road. Long Bien Bridge was the second longest bridge in the world when it opened, after the Brooklyn Bridge in the United States.

The 4.75-meter-wide Long Bien Bridge is divided into three main routes. On both sides, there are roadways for cars and pedestrians, and in the middle, there is a single railway for running trains. On both sides of the road, there are 2.6 meters for automobiles, motorcycles, and basic vehicles, and 0.4 meters for pedestrians.

Long Bien Bridge was planned and built by well-known French businesses, ensuring the most advanced and modern technical and artistic components of bridge building. The whole bridge body is built of steel, with a layered steel framework that is both beautiful and functional. Long Bien Bridge seems from afar to be a massive winding dragon that is both gentle and robust, proud.

Long Bien bridge is acknowledged by Ha Thanh people as a testimo- ny to the capital's heroic past, not just because it is a perpetual bridge with distinctive architecture. Because of its ties to Hanoi's historical ups and downs, as well as numerous noteworthy occurrences, it is an essential "witness." The picture of the last French expeditionary forces leaving from Hanoi through the Long Bien bridge and our troops coming and assuming control of the capital under the Geneva Agreement is particularly striking. On October 10, 1954, the French colonial authority in Vietnam came to an end.

During the war against the United States, the Long Bien Bridge was the sole way to transfer products by road and train from Hai Phong port and the northern border to Hanoi, and subsequently to supply the southern front with roads. As a result, the bridge became the focus of the US Air Force's attack. American planes attacked and damaged the bridge 14 times between 1965 and 1972. The bombing on September 10, 1972, caused the most damage, breaking three spans, damaging four supports, and damaging 1,500 meters of the bridge. On Decem- ber 30, 1972, railway workers began repairs when the US was com- pelled to cease bombing Hanoi, and the railway and vehicle road were reopened on February 11, 1973.

There are simply too many things to say about bridges. How can you characterize its attraction, its beauty? Long Bien Bridge is a testament to the country's illustrious past. You will notice a new breath as you stand on Long Bridge. The historical scenario appears to speed up in front of your eyes. On Long Bien Bridge, a Hanoi of the past and present intermingled, merging together. The bridge's beauty is both antique and nostalgic, as well as refined and contemporary. It's a true piece of art.