[Photo] The unique "upper class, lower class" bridge in Hanoi

Located in Yen village, Thach Xa commune, Thach That district ( Hanoi city), Khum Bridge is uniquely designed as both a bridge and a place of worship. It used to act as a unique road and a gate to the village. Although no longer used for transportation, Khum Bridge still retains important cultural and spiritual values for local people.

Khum Bridge is located in the East of Yen village, Thach Xa commune, Thach That district. The bridge is adjacent to the inter-commune traffic axis of Thach Xa - Huu Bang.

According to the locals, Khum Bridge crosses a stream flowing from Huong Ngai, Canh Nau, Dong Bui to Tich River. Previously, this bridge served as the only road to enter the village. Until now, the bridge is not used by locals for daily traffic.

The Khum Bridge is designed in the form of “house above, bridge below”, meaning the house above and the bridge below. The bridge is named Khum Bridge because its shape, when viewed from afar, looks like an upside-down bamboo boat.

No one knows exactly when the Khum Bridge first existed, but it is known that it has been around for a very long time. The only information is that in 1935, the bridge was severely damaged, and in that same year, the villagers gathered forces to repair and restore the bridge to its current state.

The upper part of the Khum bridge is over 12m long and is divided into 5 bays, of which the middle bay is 3.5m long and the side bays are 2m long. The upper part of the bridge is relatively high and gradually lowers towards the two gables.

According to the book “Cultural Heritage of Yen Village”, the middle room of the Bridge is the room to worship the “Gods”. On the horizontal lacquered board are written 3 words “Kinh nhu tai”; meaning to respect the gods as if seeing them here. On both sides are 2 wooden parallel sentences engraved with the words: “Hung tran nhat phuong tu dia mach/mac phu hap hanh gian xuan phong”, meaning: The gods guard this place, bringing good things to the people.

The two gables of the upper part are built in a gable style, with four pillars and arched doors in the middle.

Above the gable are recessed panels, moldings, floral and leaf carvings, seals, lantern pillars, and lions, very sophisticated creations.

Khum Bridge has a typical beauty of the countryside of the Northern Delta with its fish-scale tiled roof.

The lower bridge section has three culverts rolled with laterite and lined with orange segments.

“Currently, the middle of Khum Bridge has become a place for cultural activities, serving the beliefs of the people in the commune in particular and neighboring communes in general. On the 15th, 1st and 1st of the lunar month, many people come here to worship, and on normal days, people in the commune still come here to pray for their families’ health and happiness,” said Mr. Nguyen Dinh Bang (76 years old), a member of the Management Board of Yen Village Temple and Communal House Relics.