Hanoi's Steel Giant: Restoring Long Bien Bridge
For over a century, Long Bien Bridge has witnessed many pivotal moments in Vietnamese history, particularly during the wars against France and the US. These photographs frame the restoration as both a technical and cultural exchange. They portray the bridge as a site where French and Vietnamese histories intersect, and where international cooperation helps ensure that Long Bien Bridge endures as a functional crossing and a powerful witness to Hanoi’s evolving identity.
During November 2025, I walked the length of Long Bien Bridge, which stretches across the Red River. Originally constructed during the French colonial period, the bridge carries the imprint of French engineering and industrial design, which continues to shape the restoration process today. By spending time with the Vietnamese construction workers and capturing daily vignettes my aim was to show both the fragility and resilience of the structure, revealing how restoration is not an act of erasure, but of preservation.
The first ever steel bridge over the Red River, it connects the districts of Hoan Kiem, Ba Dinh, and Long Bien. Built by French company Daydé & Pillé, construction began on September 12, 1898, and finished on February 28, 1902. The bridge was initially named Doumer after Paul Doumer, then Governor-General of Indochina. France has pledged nearly 20 billion VND (approximately $775,876 USD) in non-refundable aid for a research project on renovating Hanoi’s Long Bien bridge (Hanoi Times).
Through wide river views, close-up details and portrait, this series highlights a dialogue between histories: colonial-era architecture and present-day Hanoi, European engineering traditions and local knowledge, memory and renewal. Trains, bicycles, and pedestrians continue to cross the bridge as restoration unfolds, emphasising that Long Bien Bridge remains a living structure rather than a frozen relic. A local man performs his daily yoga exercises whilst wearing a shirt with the emblem of the French Football Federation - a reminder of French history - and the idea that the people of Hanoi are deeply attached to the bridge, and how the French share this sentiment.
