Long Bien Bridge Memory Festival opens

Representatives from ministries, the municipal administration, ambassadors, international guests and about 50,000 local people attended the opening ceremony that included a wide range of activities at the bridgeheads and along the historical bridge.

Before the opening ceremony, a vintage train carrying passengers from Gia Lam station over the bridge to Long Bien Station to attend the ceremony.

The 1,628-meter bridge is divided into 12 sections representing the 12 decades of its existence (1890-2009). Each section is covered with images from the Long Bien Bridge Memory Exhibition that represent its decade.

After the opening ceremony, participants joined a “Walk for Peace”.
During the two-day festival, there will be a programme to introduce traditional crafts, a traditional fashion show, firework displays and flute kite flying show. The release of 999 lanterns down the Red River will be included as a prayer for peace and prosperity for the city.

Proudly spanning the Red River for more than hundred years and having withstood several attacks during wartime, Long Bien Bridge has been a witness of the bravery of the Vietnamese people and deserves to be a symbol of Hanoi in the present era of peace and integration.