Long Bien Bridge and Dong Xuan market

Cross the rusting iron bridge over the Red River at sunrise, then dive into the old French market where Hanoi buys everything wholesale.

Area

Old Quarter & Hoan Kiem

Start from

Old Quarter

Distance

about 4 km on foot, including the bridge

Time needed

half a day

Best season

All year; sunrise or late afternoon

Difficulty

Easy

Transport

On foot; Grab back if you cross to the far bank

Tickets & rules

None

Why go

Long Bien is one of my favourite places in the city, and it is free. The old steel cantilever bridge stretches across the wide, brown Red River, with a single railway track down the middle and narrow lanes for motorbikes and bicycles on either side. Pedestrians share a cracked concrete walkway with gaps that show the water far below. Trains still rumble across a few times a day and the whole structure trembles.

At dawn the light comes up over the river, farmers carry flowers and vegetables across from the far bank, and below you on the sandbanks of the river’s middle islands you can see banana plantations and small vegetable plots.

Afterwards, Dong Xuan market is a short walk away. It is the Old Quarter’s great wholesale hall, a maze of fabrics, dried goods and kitchenware, with a busy food section where lunch is cheap and good.

The story

The bridge was built by the French colonial government between 1899 and 1902 and named after Paul Doumer, then Governor-General of Indochina. At the time it was one of the longest bridges in Asia, and it carried the railway that linked Hanoi to the port at Hai Phong. You will often hear that Gustave Eiffel designed it; in fact it was built by the French firm Daydé & Pillé, though the legend is a stubborn one.

During the war in the 1960s and 1970s the bridge was a key target and was bombed repeatedly. Each time it was repaired, and the patchwork is still visible: some spans are original, others were rebuilt in different shapes. Walking it, you see the mismatched trusses and understand that the city chose to keep this bridge rather than replace it.

Dong Xuan market was opened by the French administration in 1889 on the site of older riverbank markets. Its original facade with five arches was partly lost in a fire in 1994, and the rebuilt building kept the front design. Inside it is wholesale first: shop owners from across the north come to buy stock by the bolt and the sack.

A curious detail: on Long Bien, traffic keeps to the left, while the rest of Vietnam drives on the right. Nobody seems quite sure why, though most explanations involve the original French design.

Getting there

From the northern end of the Old Quarter, walk to the stairs off Tran Nhat Duat street near the riverside dyke, close to Long Bien station. A staircase climbs to the pedestrian walkway. Walking to the middle and back takes about an hour; crossing to the far bank and returning by Grab is another option.

Dong Xuan market is a ten-minute walk back into the quarter.

A suggested plan

1. 5:45Climb onto the bridge and walk towards the middle as the sun rises over the river.
2. 7:00Look down onto the banana islands and the farmers carrying produce.
3. 8:00Walk back and have breakfast at the stalls near Long Bien station.
4. 9:00Wander Dong Xuan market, upstairs for textiles and downstairs for dried fruit and tea.
5. 11:00Snack in the market’s food lanes, then drift back through Hang Chieu street.

Where to stay

The northern Old Quarter around Hang Chieu and Dong Xuan is close and practical. It’s more local and wholesale in character than the lanes around the lake, and quieter at night.

Good to know

• Stay inside the pedestrian walkway and step aside for motorbikes at the access points.
• Late afternoon is also beautiful, when the low sun turns the river copper.
• Dong Xuan has fixed prices for wholesale buyers; small purchases are possible but don’t expect bargains.
• Bring a small bag for dried fruit and tea from the market.