Thanh Toan Bridge - The unique ancient Vietnamese architecture

Thanh Toan Bridge - The unique ancient Vietnamese architecture
on Dec 23, 2018 By: LucyH
The vibe of the good old days still linger on the rustic nature of Thanh Toan bridge with its elegant beauty in the poetic land of Hue in the eyes of tourists from all over the world. The tourists coming here may get shocked because the tile bridge look so alike with the famous Bridge Pagoda ( Chua Cau) in Hoi An.

Thanh Toan tile bridge is a bridge across a small river, the end of Nhu Y river, flowing from the beginning of the village to the end of Thanh Thuy village, Thuy Thanh commune, Huong Thuy district, Thua Thien Hue province, away from Hue City, about 8 km to the East. In the past, Thanh Thuy village was named Thanh Toan but by the time of Thieu Tri (1841-1847), Toan was the king's name, the court forced the villagers to rename Thanh Toan to Thanh Thuy.
It is said that the bridge was made by a granddaughter of the 6th generation of the 12 patriarchs founded the village, Tran Thi Dao. She married a top-ranking official under the reign of King Le Hien Tong (1740-1786) but had no children. In order to pray for a kid, she did charity, giving money to build a wooden bridge for the villagers to travel to and from the village, without having to use boats to cross to river.
Thanh Toan tile bridge is a wooden bridge in rainbow shape, with a length of 17m and a width of 4m, on both sides of the bridge there are two wooden platforms and railings to sit with their backs. The bridge has a tile roof divided into 7 parts. Thanh Toan tile bridge is built in the way of "upper house and lower bridge" (has the roof of a house and the body of a bridge). This is rare type of bridge and has the highest artistic value in all types of bridges in Vietnam. In the first half of the twentieth century, there were two famous bridges of this type in the North, Phuc Toai Bridge and Phu Khe Bridge, while in the Central, only Thanh Toan Tile Bridge in Hue and Bridge Pagoda in Hoi An are still available now. However, the roof of the bridge in the North is roofed with tiles, while the roof of the Central is roofed with pipe tiles.
Reference Program: Visit the Thanh Toan Tile Bridge and Cycle along the peaceful roads of Hue countryside
07:00: Our tour guide picks you up at the meeting place and rides your bike to Thanh Toan. The road to tile bridge Thanh Toan is considered as one of the most beautiful village roads in Hue. On both sides of the road are green rice fields and fruit-laden gardens ... Cycling on that village road will help you forget the harsh sun. The air is fresh and cool. The group can stop on the road, take pictures of village families, and the agriculture and fishery activities of the local residents.
08:30: Go to Ngoi Thanh Toan bridge, the visitors can spend some time and enjoy the wind of the Hue suburb when crossing the bridge, visiting a display house of a fishing gear. From here visitors also hear singing, chirping or humorous poems from the villagers.
09:00: Continue to visit the temple of Ton That Thuyet, a great mandarin under King Tu Duc's reign. A typical architectural monument of Hue by Nhu Y river.
10:00: Tourists move to local experience points: Rice cultivation or Banh Tet making village to give visitors the opportunity to learn about local traditional jobs.
12:00: Return to Thanh Toan Tile Bridge, have lunch with local specialties.
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