See the most unique 700-year-old wooden bridge with thatched roof in Vietnam

Village Kenh roof bridge is 10m long, 4m wide, 3m high, all columns, beams, deck are made of ironwood, thatched roof (today replaced by palm leaves), inside the bridge are two rows of wooden platforms for people rest.

Village Kenh roof bridge is 10m long, 4m wide, 3m high, all columns, beams, deck are made of ironwood, thatched roof (today replaced by palm leaves), inside the bridge are two rows of wooden platforms for people rest.

The beauty of the Kenh Village Roofed Bridge on the small Hai Ninh river. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

"Shanghai Ha Kieu" (above is a house, a bridge below), also known as a tile bridge, a communal house (on a bridge with a communal house) is a fairly common type of architecture in tropical Asian countries.

This term refers to wooden bridges with a roof over them. This is a very humane architecture of the ancients, building a bridge is both a place to pass and a stop for pedestrians to rest on the way.

Architecture above the house-under the bridge appeared in Vietnam from the middle of the 15th century, when the Japanese came to build the Covered Bridge in Hoi An. Currently, the number of bridges built in this style in Vietnam is not much.

Most of the remaining bridges have been recognized as Cultural Relics such as Cau Pagoda (Hoi An), Thanh Toan Bridge (Hue), Nhat Nguyet Bridge (Temple of the Master, Hanoi), Phat Diem Tiled Bridge (Ninh Ninh). Jar).

In particular, Nam Dinh province is proud to still preserve three "upper family lower overseas" bridges, namely Hai Anh Tile Bridge (Hai Hau District), Cho Thuong Tile Bridge (Nam Truc District) and Kenh Village Roofing Bridge. In which, Lang Kenh Roofing Bridge is the only wooden bridge with thatched roof in Vietnam.

The most unique leaf roof bridge in Vietnam. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

This unique bridge is located in Kenh village, Co Le town ( Truc Ninh district,  Nam Dinh province), built in the Ly dynasty, about 700 years ago, after the court dug a canal to bring water from the river. Persimmon came in to irrigate an area in the town of Son Nam Ha.

The bridge connecting the two banks of the Hai Ninh River is also the only path leading to Co Le Pagoda to serve people going to pagodas in the past.

After 700 years, the bridge still retains its ancient and unique architectural structure.

According to the forefathers, the ancient abutment system was made of monolithic green stone, weighing tons, transported by raft along the Red River. Skilled carpenters throughout the old town of Son Nam were hired to build bridges.

The entire bridge has 28 columns, of which 4 main columns are embedded deep in the river bed, each column has a diameter of over 50cm. Over time, the main pillars are worn down, people have replaced new wooden poles.

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The Kenh Village Roofing Bridge has 5 spans, each span from 1.45m-1.65m, creating a building 10m long, 4m wide, 3m high from the floor up. The entire column, beam, and floor of the bridge are made of ironwood, the bridge floor is made of thick wooden boards, more than 40cm wide.

Inside the bridge are two rows of wooden platforms that are curved along the bridge, like a bench for travelers to stop and rest. On summer afternoons or free time, people often choose the bridge as a resting place, enjoying the wind and relaxing fishing.

The wooden platform is curved along the bridge for tourists to stop and rest. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

Outside the bridge corridor is a railing with rudimentary carvings of upper and lower puzzles, rustic lines, not fussy.

Right from the beginning of construction, the workers did not choose to roof the bridge with tiles but with sedge (sedge), a plant grown in saline and brackish coastal areas, due to its lighter, more porous silt. withstand storms. When the mulch layer rots, people will put a new layer of leaves.

Local people said that after many times of restoration and repair of the roof, today the roof of the bridge is changed to that of palm leaves instead of baited leaves. The entire palm sheaths are tightly attached to the truss and reinforced with rattan fibers, making the bridge roof very solid, without worrying about wind damage.

The bridge railing with the upper and lower puzzles is rusticly carved. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

Previously, the bridge was placed in the north-south direction. Then, due to the improvement of the river system, the bridge was changed to the East-West direction to suit the daily life and travel of the people.

The roof bridge of Kenh Village has been repaired many times on a large scale in 1883, 1904 and 2014. During the renovation and installation, the workers engraved on the grid system in Chinese characters.

Currently, on the crossbar of the bridge, there is still the inscription of Confucianism recording the date of formation of the Kenh Village Roofing Bridge. In 2014, after the restoration was completed, people also carved a Confucian inscription recording the time of restoration of the bridge so that future generations would know these important milestones.

The inscription dates to the formation of the Kenh Village Roofing Bridge. (Photo: Bich Hang/Vietnam+)

Based on the system of Confucian characters carved on trusses and columns, the Department of Monuments Management, Department of Cultural Heritage (Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism) determined that "Kenh Village Roofed Bridge" is the only wooden bridge with thatched roof in Vietnam. Vietnam.

With the value of history, architecture and culture, the local people very much expect the authorities, functional agencies to conduct inventory of relics, as a scientific basis to make a dossier to request the State Government. The country recognized Kenh Village Roofing Bridge as a National Historical-Cultural Relic.

Nam Dinh 1961 view

Update day : 08/08/2023