One of the days I was wondering around Hanoi taking photos, I made my way towards the large rusty steel bridge spanning the Red River.  There are other bridges in Hanoi, and it looks like they are building more, but I’m drawn to old buildings, walls and structures.  In my opinion they always make for a better picture than new things.  This bridge is a very prominent feature of Hanoi’s skyline, so I assumed it’d be a major thoroughfare over the river which I wouldn’t be able to walk on.  When I reached the the bridge I found that this massive rusty structure can only accommodate scooter, bike and foot traffic.  At first glance I would have said this thing was overbuilt, but after walking on it, I was thankful for every last rivet, cable and I-beam.

The foot path of the bridge was just a bit wider than my shoulders, so I decide to walk on the side with oncoming scooters.  That way I would see if I was about to get clipped.  The traffic was a constant flow of things on two wheels.  Not too many people walk this as the photo below is the only other person I saw walking.  Maybe this is because of the sketchy crumbly concrete tile walkway with gaps you could see through.  Or maybe because it has a slight bouncing sensation along with strange humming and creaking noises.  Either way, it seemed it would produce an interesting experience and maybe a few good photos, so I proceeded.

I’m not sure how wide the Red River is, but it must be a mile or two with an island in the middle.  The only way to switch to the other side of the bridge was to walk to the island where a rickety stair case/scooter ramp leads you to the ground to go under and to the other side.  The little island is lush and green with crops being harvested, a stark contrast to the city at either end of the bridge.

I know, a whole post about a rusty bridge?  Maybe a stretch, but I love stumbling on unexpected things like this, which reminds me why I love to travel.