
In order to get to a large part of the northwest and to the northeast of Vietnam you will need to cross one of the bridges over the Red River. There are currently six of them that you could choose from depending on where you are heading.
Thanh Long and Nhat Tan tend to service the northern side of the city, Long Bien and Chuong Duong the Centre, whilst Vinh Tuy and Thanh Tri provide more southerly routes.
You can see the 6 current bridges of Hanoi on this map and, also, the new Hai Ba Trung bridge that will be built.
The One Road to Link them All.
All of these Hanoi bridges are connected on the city side by one road. However, that one road is, in fact, 8 different connected roads and they are called: An Duong Vuong, Au Co, Nghi Tam, Yen Phu, Tran Nhat Duat, Tran Quang Khai, Tran Khanh Du and Nguyen Khoai Roads.
From the Thanh Long Bridge down to Thanh Tri Bridge it is around 20km. Thanh Long is about 10km from the centre of town and Thanh Tri is around 8km from the centre. For each of these routes, you will find that the first half is quite congested, obviously, and the second is much more sedate.
The old airport road bridge, which was built between 1974 1985 with assistance from the Soviets, is still in use by quite a lot of traffic, mostly heavy vehicles and cars, that is heading to the airport or beyond. It is unlikely that you will use this bridge opting for Nhat Tan Bridge instead due to the busy roads that lead to it.
However, as there are two levels to the bridge and motorbike traffic goes on the lower level, it is not as daunting as it seems at first. It is not that easy to get onto the bridge from the road as the system is quite confusing, especially in traffic and when you are a newbie.
Cars run on the upper level and there are two lanes for motorbikes and bicycles with a railway track running in between them.
You will use this bridge to get to central northern and north-western areas such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang and Cao Bang.
This is probably better known as the airport bridge now as this is the new main route to Noi Bay Airport. The bridge is new, being completed in 2015, and well-built (Japanese project) and the on and off ramps are very easy to negotiate.
The bridge is nearly 9km long with the span over the river being 1,500m. It is colourfulyl lit with lights in the evening, making the 5 pylons, which symbolize the 5 ancient gates to Hanoi, stand out clearly in the sky.
It connects with the airport road which is fast, but dull, and it will get you out of town very quickly. It is very easily accessible from the northern districts of Hanoi and a little trickier from the more southern ones.
This is an easy way to get to the northern-western and north-central regions (similar to the Thanh Long Bridge) such as Lao Cai, Ha Giang and Cao Bang.
The first and, obviously, oldest bridge across the river and reputed to have been built by Eiffel of tower fame. It wasn’t. This was built between 1898 and 1902 and was the world’s largest bridge at the time of construction. It is one of the only bridges in the world where the traffic drives on the opposite ‘wrong’ side of the road.
Cars are not allowed on this bridge so you’ll only see pedestrians, bicycles and other motorcyclists. Even though it is one way, you will often see traffic coming at you from the wrong direction. This is because it is far too inconvenient to go over the bridge and get back again, if you want to go down to Banana Island below.
This does not mean that it is an easy crossing because it is very narrow, 2 bike widths only, and in rush hour it is jam packed. It is quite tricky to move in that confined space and there are often hold ups. However, the small size and easy on and off runways make it very easy to get on and off the bridge.
Outside of rush hour it is generally a very quick, easy and bridge to cross with some great views.
You are likely to take this bridge if you are heading to Cao Bang, Lang Son or even Ha Long Bay or Ninh Binh.
This bridge is situated very close to Long Bien and is one of the easiest crossing from central Hanoi. Even though it is operating at around 4 times its design load, some 25,000 vehicles daily. It is quite wide, 4 lanes each of 5m width, with two central car lanes and motorbike lanes to each side of these.
It does get busy in rush hour but the flow on and off the bridge is quite steady and not a huge problem. It is also relatively short and doesn’t take long to cross.
Again, like its older counterpart situated quite close beside, you may choose to take this bridge if you are heading towards Cao Bang, Lang Son, or Ha Long.
This is a very long bridge situated to the South of the city that was finished in 2010. At 38m wide it is the widest bridge in Vietnam but that does not make it an easier crossing.
It is great for access from the old Quarter along Nguyen Khoai Rd or from Ha Ba Trung district and beyond to the West. It is a wide bridge and so there is plenty of space but there is also a fair amount of heavy vehicle traffic that you need to watch out for.
You can get on and off this bridge easily so long as you pay attention as there are large run offs. However, go slowly because one small mistake and you’ll be heading the wrong way for a long way.
This bridge gives very easy access to Highway 5 and then on to Lang Son, Hai Phong, Ha Long Bay.
This is one of the longest bridge of its type in Asia and the longest in Vietnam finished in 2007.
It is a dull boring bridge with lots of trucks and heavy vehicles. It is not a fun crossing at all. Combine this with the fact that it is located quite a way South of the city and it will probably be a last choice of crossing. That is, of course, unless you are coming from districts such as Dong Da or My Dinh and you don’t want to drive through the city traffic to get to one of the other crossings.
In fact, can get from Highway 1 over to Highway 5 quite easily and avoid the city traffic below.
It is most likely that you will be starting from the southern districts if you do venture over this bridge as it is quite out of the way. Again, you will be heading northeastward to places such as Lang Son, Ha Long or Hai Phong. It could be a route to get to Cat Ba Island.
This bridge is yet to be built but preparation has been made for it to begin. The roads in the area are being upgraded and run on and off ramps are being laid out.
It will run from Au Co Rd in Tay Ho over Banana Island and into Dong Anh on the Eastern side of the river. It will also link up to the airport and help ease the amount of traffic on Thang Long and Nhat Tan Bridges.
The bridges are all fairly easy to cross but can be quite hectic at rush hour. It is wise to avoid that time to cross as the surrounding roads will also be jam packed.
Also, you can quite easily stop for a quick photo on most of these bridges and this might make a good memento of the beginning or end of your trip.
86B Đ. Trần Phú, Phường 4, Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh, Hồ Chí Minh, Vietnam (appointment only)
Tax Code: 0105306316
International Tour Operator License: 01-2010/2022/TCDL-GP LHQT
15a Ng. 12 Đ. Đặng Thai Mai, Quảng An, Tây Hồ, Hà Nội 100000, Vietnam
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Engine Type
air-liquid cooled, twin cylinder, DOHC, boxer engine
Displacement
1255 cc
Bore X Stroke
102.5 mm x 76 mm
Ignition
FI
Fuel System
fuel injection
Compression Ratio
12.5:1
Starter
electric
Gearbox
6-speed
Front Suspension
BMW Motorrad Telelever; stanchion diameter 37 mm
Rear Suspension
single-sided swing arm with BMW Motorrad Paralever
Front Brakes
dual disc brake, floating brake discs, diameter 305 mm, 4-piston radial calipers
Rear Brakes
single disc brake, diameter 276 mm, double-piston floating caliper
Front Tyres
120/70 R19
Rear Tyres
170/60 R17
Wheelbase
1514 mm
Seat Height
850 mm
Ground Clearance
790 mm
Kerb Weight
249 kg
Fuel Capacity
20 litres
Dimensions
2207 mm (L) x 952.5mm (W) x 1430 mm (H)
Engine Type
air cooled, OHC, single cylinder
Displacement
149 cc
Bore X Stroke
57.3 mm x 57.8 mm
Ignition
CDI
Fuel System
20 mm piston valve carburettor
Compression Ratio
9.5:1
Starter
electric with kick starter backup
Gearbox
5-speed
Front Suspension
telescopic fork, 180 mm axle travel
Rear Suspension
single shock swing arm, 150 mm axle travel
Front Brakes
dual piston caliper, 240 mm disc
Rear Brakes
mechanical drum
Front Tyres
90/90 19
Rear Tyres
110/90 17
Wheelbase
1362 mm
Seat Height
825 mm
Ground Clearance
243 mm
Kerb Weight
129 kg
Fuel Capacity
12 litres
Dimensions
2091 mm (L) x 811 mm (W) x 1125 mm (H)
Engine Type
liquid cooled parallel-twin four stroke
Displacement
470 cc
Bore X Stroke
67 mm x 66.8 mm
Ignition
PGMI – FI
Fuel System
fuel injection
Compression Ratio
10.7:1
Starter
electric
Gearbox
6-speed
Front Suspension
41 mm SFF-BP USD Forks
Rear Suspension
Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster
Front Brakes
dual 296 mm discs with 4 piston calipers; ABS
Rear Brakes
240 mm disc; ABS
Front Tyres
110/80R19M/C (59H)
Rear Tyres
160/60R17M/C
Wheelbase
1445 mm
Seat Height
830 mm
Ground Clearance
180 mm
Kerb Weight
199 kg
Fuel Capacity
17.7 litres
Dimensions
2,155 mm (L) x 830 mm (W) x 1,410 mm (H)
Engine Type
single cylinder, DOHC, liquid cooled
Displacement
286 cc
Bore X Stroke
76 mm x 63 mm
Ignition
Full Transistor Digital
Fuel System
PGM-FI electronic fuel injection
Compression Ratio
10.7:1
Starter
electric
Gearbox
5-speed
Front Suspension
43 mm telescopic upside down
Rear Suspension
Prolink Mono with 5 stage pre load adjuster
Front Brakes
Rear Brakes
220 mm disc, single piston caliper
Front Tyres
80/100 21
Rear Tyres
120/80 18
Wheelbase
1455 mm
Seat Height
880 mm
Ground Clearance
285 mm
Kerb Weight
142 kg
Fuel Capacity
7.8 litres
Dimensions
2230 mm (L) x 820 mm (W) x 1200 mm (H)