Hoi An Bridge: Famous Bridges in Hoi An

Hoi An Bridge: Japanese Covered Bridge

Main article: The Japanese Covered Bridge in Hoi An

The Japanese Covered Bridge (or the Japanese Bridge, Pagoda Bridge, Chua Cau, Lai Vien Kieu) is the iconic bridge of Hoi An. It was built by Japanese people in 17^th century and later rebuilt by Chinese people. In one entrance of this bridge, there are two monkey statues (holding a peach) and two dog statues on the other side. Each couple represents a year in the zodiac calendar, telling us that the whole time to construct it is 2 years.

The temple behind the bridge is used to worship Bac De Tran Vu (the King of northern direction). He is a Taoist god who is able to control natural disasters and phenomena. Although this is a Chinese deity, Vietnamese people still come here to pray for luck, happiness and peacefulness.

In 1719, Nguyen Phuc Chu lord – the ruler of the land gave its name “Lai Vien Kieu”, meaning “the Bridge that Receives Guests from Afar”. As a symbol for exchange of different cultures and friendship, the Japanese covered bridge appears on Vietnamese currency worth 20,000 dong.

Hoi An Bridge with Hands: The Golden Bridge

Main article: The Golden Bridge Travel Guide

Golden Hands Bridge and its Location

The Golden Hands Bridge (or Cau Vang) is in Ba Na Hills, a well-known hill station 50 kilometers away from Hoi An. It opens to visitors in 2018 and after that, becomes a social media hit thanks to its unique, inspirational design. This pedestrian bridge has a wood-paved deck with golden handrails, holded by two massive stone hands. From above, the hands are like the hands of the Mountain God rising from the hill and dense jungles. The Golden hands bridge now is a dream place to visit for many travelers in the world.

Getting to Golden Hands Bridge from Hoi An

It takes visitors about 1 hour and 20 minutes to get to Ba Na Hills from Hoi An by car. And then, it’s needed to walk to cable car stations and take one cable car to reach the Golden bridge (via the shortest cable car line). Cost for a private car for 2 ways often is from 1,000,000 to 1,500,000 VND, depending on size of the car and providers. Read further details in https://centralvietnamguide.com/how-to-get-to-golden-bridge-from-hoi-an.

Golden Hands Bridge Tour from Hoi An

Because of the long distance and crowds, travelers often depart the trip to visit the Golden hands bridge in the early morning (around 6:30 am). A ticket reservation on the last day also helps them to skip the queues and go straight to cable car stations. Then, they are definitely some of the first visitors on the bridge. It’s possible to stroll and take some good photos without many people around. Other sights and activities in Ba Na hills will be done later (such as Fantasy Park). Of course, because they come to them before, so don’t spend too much time seeing or participating. So, an early departure is the key to avoid the crowds in the Golden bridge.

You can see details of our Golden hands bridge tour (1/2 day) via   https://centralvietnamguide.com/tour/golden-hands-bridge-tour/.

Hoi An Lantern Bridge: An Hoi Bridge

An Hoi Bridge is a small, short bridge spanning Hoai river that is the heart of Hoi An old town. It’s exclusive for pedestrians and bicycles from 9 to 11:30 am, and 3 to 9 pm daily. This lovely bridge provides access to An Hoi island with new towns, evening markets, theatres and Pub street – a nightlife center of Hoi An.

In the night, from the top of An Hoi bridge, visitors will see an amazing view, a world of twilight lights. Lights are from colorful lanterns in houses by waterfronts, from boats and lanterns floating on the river, from candles in street vendors, and from the moon. Definitely, it is among the best spots to catch this Hoi An’s evening delight (the thing that makes travelers fall in love Hoi An!). In the full moon, the traditional lantern festival is organized. For that reason, the town is filled with dreamy, romantic lights from millions of lanterns. Once again, An Hoi bridge becomes a perfect place to enjoy and save the memories.

An Hoi bridge provides the shortest way to go to Nguyen Hoang night market, the largest of the kind in Hoi An. Visitors absolutely like to be here, to taste street foods, listen to live music, buy souvenirs and photograph at lantern shops. In another corner, the Hoi An Lune Center provides the finest cultural shows in town. Its production team gained many international and national prizes.

Hoi An Moonlight Bridge

The Hoi An Moonlight Bridge (Cầu Ánh Trăng) is the shortest way to walk to the Hoi An Memories Land where the Hoi An memories show is performed. It has been used only for pedestrians (tourists) since it’s inaugurated in April 2022. On the city side, it connects with Tran Quang Khai St and Huyen Tran Cong Chua St. From the Hoi An fabric market, visitors need to walk 850 meters along these streets to get it. Taxi and electric shuttle buses are also easy to see and take, for a short transfer.

This walking bridge has a unique design that is inspired from the monthly full moon festival in Hoi An. Opening for visitors from 5 to 10 pm (except Tuesday), it shows its best at night when golden lights are turned on. At the top of the bridge, it’s possible to see and photograph a world of colorful lights, including cruises and floating lanterns on the river. Furthermore, the surface of the bridge is glass-bottom, helping to increase visitor’s experience. Small shimmering lights depict stars in the sky, so kids may like. By the bridge, there is a banyan tree which Vietnamese people think that it’s on the moon (not a rabbit in other cultures!).

Note: Only visitors who paid for Hoi An memories show (or the theme park) are allowed to walk on the bridge and take photos.

Hoi An Bridge with Dragon: The Dragon Bridge

Main article: The Dragon Bridge in Da Nang

The Dragon Bridge (or Cau Rong) is another famous bridge in Hoi An’s area. Exactly, it’s located in Da Nang city, 30 kilometers away. Inaugurated in 2013, this public traffic construction is known for its unique design, particularly its steel dragon. On the weekend, the dragon breathes fire and then water, making it become a popular attraction at night. It alone is yellow and photogenic, and that’s why it draws many travelers coming to take pictures.

Near the Dragon Bridge, visitors can see a collection of elaborate artifacts inside the Museum of Cham sculpture or try street foods and buy souvenirs at Son Tra night market.

Cua Dai Bridge

Spanning the estuary of Thu Bon river, Cua Dai bridge is the largest and tallest bridge in Hoi An. It provides traffic from Cam Thanh “coconut” village to the other side and causes the closing of a ferry. Constructed between August 2009 and March 2016, its length is 1,480 meters and its deck has 4 lanes, a median strip and two pedestrian paths. This bridge is a part of a coastal road project from Da Nang to Tam Ky city, the political heart of the province.

When standing on the top of Cua Dai bridge, visitors can see a spectacular view to the mouth of Thu Bon river. There are green freshwater bodies, blue sea, fishing boats docking around the fishing market, fishing nets, coconut forests, mangrove, and distant Cham islands. The colors are diverse. Many photographers come here to hunt stunning and inspiring pictures in the sunrise. They also don’t miss Duy Hai fish market to look for lively moments of life and different fish species.

On the other side (the city side), the scenery is peaceful. From there, it’s possible to view the entire Thu Bon river delta, until the horizon. That’s why visitors can see the mother river, its distributies, rice fields, villages, islands, and boats. Sunset is the best time to see all of these.

Cam Dong Bamboo Bridge

Cam Dong bamboo bridge is one of the last survivals of its type in Hoi An today. Reasons leading to this disappearance are the quick modernization in the countryside and floods. It’s located near Vinh Dien town, around 10 kilometers west of Hoi An. Local farmers use it to go to their farms and gardens from their homes. So, in the early morning (after sunrise) and late afternoon (sunset), it’s busy.

Cam Kim Iron Bridge

This iron bridge is one of the gateways to Cam Kim island (from Hoi An), the last untouched countryside in the city. It opened in 2016, giving inhabitants of the island more conveniences in their daily life. It is small, but still supports two way traffic. Pedestrians, bicycle and scooter riders are okay to move on it. However, the surface will be wet and slippery on rainy days (after rain) and often not easy for foreigners. Travelers can choose to go across the new Cam Kim bridge (from pottery village) instead, to keep safe. By that, the distance will be longer.

Iron Cam Kim bridge is popular for cycling tours from Hoi An to Cam Kim island. Sometimes, it’s skipped because tourists may use a ferry boat to cross the river.

New Cam Kim Bridge

The new Cam Kim bridge is a 740-meters-long bridge spanning Thu Bon river. It connects Hoi An with Cam Kim island, so it’s named Cam Kim bridge. On Hoi An’s side, there is Thanh Ha pottery village, a famous traditional handicraft workshop and its early morning fish market. On the other side, that is Triem Tay village (also known as the Bamboo village) with endless rice fields. If riding further, travelers will find the best motorbike route to get My Son from Hoi An.

Nguyen Duy Hieu Bridge

Opening to traffic in April 2022, this 242-meters-long bridge spans the Co Co river (or De Vong river), northwest of the town’s centre. It’s named “Nguyen Duy Hieu”, a local nationalist that was born in a nearby village. He was one of leaders for Quang Nam Nghia Hoi, an organization purposely to fight against French colonists in 19^th century. In Hoi An, it’s possible to see his memorial statue in the park of Hoi An theatre and a road named the same (in the Ancient town).

Nguyen Duy Hieu bridge is a cable-stayed bridge, with two towers designed in the shape of sea palms (nipa palms). The palms grow in the surroundings, lining banks of the river. In Cam Thanh village, these plants form a vast forest. Locals there use basket boats to carry tourists on rivers and show funny performances. You can read more information about the activity in Hoi An basket boat ride.

Cam Nam Bridge

Cam Nam bridge is one of the bridges inside Hoi An’s ancient town. It provides access to Cam Nam island from the rest of the city and from the central markets. This bridge is an ideal spot to watch and photograph the sunrise or sunset. In the sunset direction, it’s possible to see the town with many boats, a market and a confluence of rivers. In the evening, people in the boats release lighting lanterns, making the view colorful and dramatic.

After Cam Nam bridge, travelers can walk to famous local restaurants selling hến xào (stir fried baby clams), bánh đập (rice papers and anchovy sauce) and chè bắp (sweet corn soup). All of them define the cuisine of Cam Nam island’s inhabitants. Not far away, travelers will find the entrance of the Hoi An Memories Land, to witness the Hoi An memories show.