Le Dynasty stone bridge discovered in Cao Bang

Le Dynasty stone bridge discovered in Cao Bang
12:24' 25/09/2007 (GMT+7)

VietNamNet Bridge – Experts from the Vietnam Archeological Insitute and Cao Bang Province Museum have discovered an ancient stone bridge dating back 200 years in Coc Khoac hamlet, Hung Quoc town, Tra Linh district.

According to local residents, this stone bridge, which is 13 m in length and 2.5 m in width and covered with green vines, used to have stone hand-rails which have been replaced by cement ones.

The bridge is about 5 km to the southwest of the Vietnamese-Chinese border. And more than 10 m to the east of the bridge is a road-side stone tablet with details about its construction. Initial investigations reveal that the tablet was erected in 1837 and the bridge, 1789.

According to head of the investigation team, Doctor Trinh Nang Chung from the Archeological Institute, the newly discovered bridge has interesting architectutural elements and the whole site is an important historical and cultural find.

Through out the history of bridge construction in Vietnam, stone bridges like the one discovered in Coc Khoac are very rare. And in the Northern Delta region, bridges dating back to the Le Dynasty are difficult to find.

For more than 200 years, the Coc Khoac ancient stone bridge has been the only means for local residents in Coc Khoac hamlet to traverse the stream separating them and other parts of Hung Quoc town.

(Source: Tien Phong)

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