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L
ong Bien Bridge is one of the key
historical sites in Vietnam, so it is
no surprise that plans proposed
by the Ministry of Transport to
re-build it have done more than raise a
few eyebrows.
One plan suggests building a
new bridge exactly where the old one
stands, keeping the central part with
the railway track intact, and removing
other parts for preservation.
A second option is to build a new,
modern bridge with a similar design to
the old one, and a third plan is to mod-
ernise the bridge while retaining parts
of the central section and trusses.
According to the Ministry of Trans-
port, the bridge must be upgraded in
order to avoid further deterioration.
The ministry says if the original bridge
is kept, it will continue to impact the
traffic flow over the Red River because
its height is limited.
“Building a new bridge is not a
difficult matter, but upgrading Long
Bien Bridge poses challenges because
it is culturally significant and must be
preserved,” says deputy director of the
Hanoi Transport Department, Nguyen
Xuan Tan.
Some historical experts are against
all of the above options. Professor
Hoang Chuong, general director of the
Research Centre for Preservation and
Development of National Culture, says
that Long Bien Bridge is not only a piece
of transport infrastructure, but also car-
ries special political significance: “The
bridge should be developed into a cul-
tural destination for tourism, without
any integration.”
According to Professor Hoang Dao
Kinh, member of the National Cultural
10
timeout
Plans to rebuild the his-
toric Long Bien Bridge
in Hanoi have sparked
plenty of controversy,
writes
Ngoc Anh
A bridge too