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You are
planning a trip to Vietnam and are having difficulties
deciding where to go and what to do, what you cannot miss
and what to skip. From the feedbacks of our customers,
Tailormade Vietnam Holidays would like to recommend some
activities considered by travellers as must-do's when you
are in Vietnam....
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Japanese
covered bridge
This famed bridge (Cau Nhat Ban) connects Tran Phu with Nguyen Thi Minh Khai. the
first bridge on this site was constructed in the 1590s. It was built by the Japanese
community of
Hoi An in order to link them with the Chinese quarters across the stream.
The Japanese Covered Bridge is very solidly constructed; the original builders were
concerned about the threat of earthquakes. Over the centuries the ornamentation has
remained relatively faithful to the original Japanese design. Its understatement
contrasts greatly with the Vietnamese and Chinese penchant for wild decoration. The
French flattened out the road way to make it suitable for their motor vehicles, but the
original arched shape was restored during major renovation work in 1986. Built into the
northern side of the bridge is a small temple. The writing over its door is the name given to the bridge in 1719 to replace
the name meaning Japanese Covered Bridge. However the new name, Lai Vien Kieu (Bridge
for Passers-by from Afar), never quite caught on. According to legend, there once lived
an enormous monster called Cu, who had its head in India, its tail in Japan and its
body in Vietnam. Whenever the monster moved, terrible disasters such as floods and
earthquakes befell Vietnam. This bridge was built on the monster's weakest point and
killed it, but the people of Hoi An took pity on the slain monster and built this
temple to pray for its soul. The entrances of the bridge are guarded by a pair of
monkeys on one side and a pair of dogs on the other. According to one story, these
animals were popularly revered because many of Japan s emperors were born in years of
the dog and monkey. Another tale says that construction of the bridge started in the
year of the monkey and was finished in the year of the dog. The stelae, listing all the
Vietnamese and Chinese contributors to a subsequent restoration of the bridge, are
written in chu nho (Chinese characters) - the nom script had not yet become popular in these parts
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