Hien Luong Bridge: The Connection of Love

Hien Luong bridge is the center of Hien Luong - Ben Hai monument ranked as special national historical relic site of Vietnam. The bridge is located right on the 17th parallel, crossing the Ben Hai River at the section running through Hien Luong Village, Vinh Thanh Commune, Vinh Linh District, Quang Tri Province, Central Vietnam. During the 21 years of the Vietnam War, from 1954 to 1975, Hien Luong Bridge was the boundary dividing Vietnam into two regions: the North managed by the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the South by the Republic of Vietnam.

In 1928, the first ever-built bridge spanning the Ben Hai River in this area was a small wooden bridge, supported by iron piles, about 2 meters wide with a pedestrian load.

In 1952, the bridge was renewed with reinforced concrete, 178 meters long, divided into 7 spans, with a load of 18 tons. The bridge is 4 meters wide, paved with pine wood, and both sides have 1.2-meter-high bridge bars.

In 1967, during the Vietnam War, this bridge was destroyed by bombs.

In 2001, the iron bridge was restored to the original design of the old bridge. The restoration bridge is 182.97 meters long, divided into 7 spans with the bridge surface turning to ironwood slices.

In 2008, the restored bridge was inaugurated, used as a historical evidence of the separation of North - South Vietnam.

The restored Hien Luong bridge, view from southern bank

The frontier flag in the present northern shore

The bridge is painted yellow and blue, a remembrance of the paint battle that fiercely occured between north and south banks. Everytime north bank painted blue, the south bank painted over it in yellow. This war kept going on until 1960, when both colors were maintained on the either side. In 2014, Hien Luong Bridge was first repainted to blue and yellow as it existed, emphasizing the unified desire of the Vietnamese people.

Two Hien Luong bridges, view from the southern bank

Hien Luong Flagpole includes two parts: the pedestal and the flagpole. The pedestal is a structure built higher than the monument ground. The flagpole is 28 meters high, and made from 6 steel pipes linked together. Steel bars are attached along the pole, creating a ladder running from the bottom to the top. A cable system, pulleys and winches are used to hang the flag.

Statue of Borderland Security's Soldier

The statue is designed with concrete casting materials, surface-coated nanotubes, with a weight of 60 tons, 15m high, and 6.8 meters wide. It was inaugurated on August 19, 2018.

Unified Memorial of Hope Monument

The monument is located on the southern bank of Ben Hai River, east of National Highway 1A, has an area of ​​2,700 square-meters. The monument consists of two parts: the platform and the statue. The platform has a relief plate on a side, which is assembled from stone blocks with different sizes. The statue is the image of a Southern mother (7.70m high) and her son (5.50m high), created from Thanh Hoa green stone.