No structure in Hanoi means as much to riders as the Long Bien Bridge. Built 1898–1902 under the direction of the same firm behind the Eiffel Tower’s engineering era, bombed and repaired repeatedly through the twentieth century, it remains the city’s only river crossing reserved for trains, motorbikes, bicycles and feet. Crossing it is a five-minute ride and a hundred-year conversation.

Access and layout

Cars are not allowed: they use Chuong Duong or the newer bridges. On Long Bien, the railway track runs down the middle of the deck, flanked by two narrow side lanes — about 2.5 metres each — for motorbikes, bicycles and pedestrians, with a separate walkway section. There is no physical barrier beyond low rails and the collective discipline of everyone on the deck. You enter from either the Hoan Kiem side (via the approach past the old streets below) or the Long Bien side near the market.

The 2026 repairs — and why they matter

The bridge closed completely between 28 March and 27 May 2026 for emergency repairs to the pedestrian walkway and the motorbike roadways, and reopened on 27 May 2026 to two-way motorbike traffic. Longer-term, the city has approved reinforcement and renovation studies for the aging structure, so future maintenance closures are a real possibility. Before planning a crossing that matters — an airport run, a photo session — a quick check of current Hanoi news is sensible; when the bridge is closed, Chuong Duong immediately to the south carries the detour traffic.

Riding it well

  • Speed: walk-to-trot pace, maximum. The lanes are single-file in practice, and oncoming riders appear in your lane around the truss posts.
  • Rail awareness: trains have right of way, always. If the barriers are down or a train is crossing, wait — the deck shakes pleasantly under a passing train, which is part of the experience, from the stopped side.
  • Surface: old steel decking with plates and gaps; after rain, the deck and the approach ramps are slick. The wet-iron rule: no sudden braking.
  • Photography: the classic river-island shots come from the mid-river piers, where the lane widens slightly. Stop only where others already stop, well clear of the riding line, and never step backward without looking — the deck has edges that matter.

The views

Halfway across, Hanoi arranges itself for you: the river islands with their banana gardens below, the Red River’s sand barges and swimming buffalo, the Old Quarter rooftops to the west, and the skyline of glass towers behind them. At dawn the mist makes it unreal; at night the deck’s dim lamps and the city glow behind make it feel like a different century — which, structurally, it is.

Making it part of a ride

The bridge anchors the best short loop in Hanoi: cross to the Long Bien side, ride the dyke road along the market gardens, come back via the riverside lanes — or link it into the self-guided city tour as the finale. Ride it once slowly to learn it; after that, it becomes the crossing you choose even when it is not the shortest, which is the highest compliment a road can earn.