Hien Luong Bridge

Hien Luong Bridge and Ben Hai River are famous historical landmarks associated with the 17th Parallel boundary, which divided the two regions of North and South Vietnam for more than twenty years, from 1954 to 1975.

Starting with the Geneva Agreement signed in 1954, Vietnam was temporarily divided. The gentle Ben Hai River suddenly had to become the border dividing the two regions of the country.

The small bridge connecting the two banks of the river at Hien Luong village became a fragile link for the exchange between the North and the South.

Hien Luong Bridge was built in 1952. It is 183.8m long and 3.28m wide. The bridge body is made of steel, and the surface is paved with wooden planks. When the separation order was signed, civilians were no longer allowed to move across the bridge.

Since then, the bridge has been painted in two colors: blue from the middle of the bridge to the North bank and yellow in the opposite direction to the South bank. The two colors of green and yellow are still maintained to this day as evidence of the pain of division and war.

Both sides of the river were built into a demilitarized zone. Many structures, such as propaganda loudspeakers, watchtowers, border police stations, and peace flagpoles, were built to guard and propagate the two governments.

For 20 years, this place has become evidence of the countless pains caused by war. At the same time, it represents the Vietnamese people's desire for peace.

Today, when coming to this area, you can visit many different structures, such as:

• Hien Luong Bridge and Ben Hai River
• On the North bank, prominent structures include the 17th Parallel Flagpole, Lien Hop House, and the "17th Parallel and the Desire for Unification" Exhibition House.
• Loudspeaker systems on both banks
• On the South bank, there are the Police station and the Aspiration for Unification monument cluster.

Currently, there are two bridges connecting the Ben Hai River. The old Hien Luong Bridge relic is located east of the new bridge on National Highway 1A. The old bridge allows visitors to walk and visit, while the new bridge handles the main traffic task on National Highway 1A.