An exhibition titled “Memories of a bridge” opening at the Maison des Arts (House of Arts) on July 3 tells the story of the 105-year-old bridge by displaying photos by Na Son and Douglas Jardine, three large-scale lacquer paintings by Phan Thi Minh Chau, a model of the bridge by Vuong Van Thao and a video by Pham Van Truong.

Living Fossil - By Vuong Van Thao

Hanoi’s Long Bien Bridge was built in 1903 by the French architect Gustave Eiffel. It was then called the Doumer Bridge, named after Paul Doumer - The Governor-General of French Indochina and later the French president before Vietnam's independence in 1954. At the time, it was one of the longest bridges in Asia with a length of 1,862m.

While photos captured people’s daily lives and romantic moments on the bridge, the lacquer paintings depict how the artist sees it.

It not only links the two sides of the Red River, but is also a bridge joining together two very different life styles, a natural and quiet one along the river bank and a noisy and busy life in the city centre, said painter Phan Thi Minh Chau who has painted more than 100 lacquer paintings of Long Bien Bridge over the last four years.

Meanwhile, the video author, Pham Van Truong, shows the bridge, together with the old quarter, called the line of time, it embraces traditional cultural and historical values.

The exhibition will run until October 11 when a 24-hour festival entitled “Memories of a bridge” is expected to take place on the historical bridge with the aim of marking its 105^th anniversary (1903-2008) and promoting the country’s traditional values.

When I was cycling along the bridge, I was excited by the vibration when a train came by, which evoked a feeling of a dragon turning over, confided Nguyen Nga, the Maison des Arts’ director and project manager.

Under the project, the bridge will be chosen as the place for a number of cultural and artistic activities such as the 105-painting exhibition, a laser performance, a calligraphy exhibition, a kite competition, Hanoi’s 19^th fashion show, a photo exhibition titled “Long Bien Bridge – then and now” and a series of concerts.

I hope that the bridge will be a place of cultural and artistic importance, linking Vietnam to other countries all over the world and becoming a symbol of the capital city, like Paris’ Eiffel Tower, said Nguyen Nga.