A print of the Red River in mist from high up: the long iron bridge in clay red across the distance, a few boats, and a green sandbank with a dark channel in front. — The sandbankLake jade, River clay, Shutter green, key blockRed River, from Long Biên BridgeLine drawn by FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, an image model, after a photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg, Photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0. Cropped for this site.

A photograph of the Red River in mist from high up: the long iron bridge in clay red across the distance, a few boats, and a green sandbank with a dark channel in front. — The sandbankLake jade, River clay, Shutter green, key blockRed River, from Long Biên BridgeLine drawn by FLUX.2 [klein] 4B, an image model, after a photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg, Photograph by Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0. Cropped for this site.

In the city

Over the iron bridge

Long Biên at dusk, then down to the banana fields on the sandbank.

Length: 3 hours
Starts: 16:30
Group: Up to 8
From: USD 39 a guest

What happens

Long Biên at dusk, then down to the banana fields on the sandbank. The bridge opened in 1903, and trains, motorbikes, bicycles and people on foot still use it. Cars are not allowed. We walk it when the banana groves on the sandbank turn blue.

16:30
We meet at the foot of the ramp and start across.
16:45
The bridge. Your guide tells you who built it (a French firm, not Eiffel) and what has been patched since.
17:30
A path leads down to the sandbank. We walk between banana fields and the river.
18:15
Dusk, a glass of tea on a plastic stool, and the bridge at a distance.
19:15
We walk back before it is fully dark.

Included: A glass of tea on the sandbank; A guide for up to eight guests.

What you will see

Photographs, graded to look like one shoot. Select one to see it larger, with its credit.

Good to know

What to wear

Closed shoes. The path down is earth and can be slippery after rain.

Walking

About 4 km, flat, but the bridge is long.

Children

From 8. We walk children on the inside, away from the edge.

Access

Not suitable for wheelchairs: the bridge and the path down are uneven, and the path has steps.

The weather, by season

Xuân February to April: lows 16 to 22°C, about 53 mm of rain a month.
Hạ May to August: lows 25 to 27°C, about 239 mm of rain a month.
Thu September to November: lows 20 to 25°C, about 148 mm of rain a month.
Đông December and January: lows 14 to 14°C, about 20 mm of rain a month.

Láng station normals, 1991 to 2020. The four seasons

Where we meet

The Hà Nội (west) end of Long Biên Bridge, at the foot of the ramp.

If the bridge is closed to walkers on the day, we walk the river bank instead and tell you the evening before.

Open in Google Maps (new tab)Open in OpenStreetMap (new tab)

Long Biên Bridge. We link to maps; we do not embed one.

Cancelling

Cancel up to 48 hours before the start for a full refund. Between 48 and 24 hours, half is refunded. Within 24 hours, nothing is, unless we cancel: then you are refunded in full, or moved to another day.

Sample terms. The cancellation policy