Built in 1903 by the French architect Gustave Eiffel (famous for designing the Eiffel Tower), Long Bien Bridge played a major role in the Vietnam War against the United States, as the bridge provided a secure connection to the port of Haiphong. It was heavily bombarded during Vietnam War due to its critical position (the only bridge at that time across the Red River and connect Hanoi to the main port Haiphong). It was rendered unusable for a year when, in May 1972, it fell victim to one of the first co-ordinated attacks using laser-guided "smart bombs". Nowadays, only half of the bridge retains its original shape. A project with support and loan from French government is currently in progress to rebuild the bridge to the original state.
Under the bridge, around 40 extremely poor families live in boats on Red river coming from many poor rural of Viet Nam.
Today trains, mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians use the dilapidated bridge, while all other traffic is diverted to the nearby Chuong Duong Bridge and some newly built bridges: Thanh Tri Bridge, Thang Long Bridge, Vinh Tuy Bridge, and Nhat Tan Bridge.
