Bridges in Vietnamese Literature

Ph?m Duy, a famous Vietnamese song-writer, once wrote “Khi d?t nu?c tôi thanh bình tôi s? di tham” (translation – Once peace is restored in my country, I will visit)

Peace in Vietnam has been restored. I want to return to Vi?t Nam to visit and discover the country that I left decades ago.

I used to live in Saigon. But the number of the places in Vi?t Nam I visited could be counted only in one hand, so I long so much to see a Vi?t Nam, full of romantic and exotic locations and faces.

I love Vietnamese music and literature, cadao (folksongs) and poetry. One object, which is not considered exotic or romantic is mentioned so much in Vietnamese literature and music, is a bridge, cây c?u or cái c?u,

Maybe, in Vietnamese, c?u is rhymed with s?u (n?i bu?n) or sadness. When I have a chance to visit, I would like to see the bridge in one of Ph?m Duy’s song, Bên C?u Biên Gi?i.

I do not remember exactly where, I was told a long time ago, the bridge was. Maybe near the border to Laos, or Sapa or Ði?n Biên Ph?. But in my imagination, the bridge below could have been the bridge in the song. “ Ng?ng dây soi bóng bên giòng nu?c lu, c?u cao nghiêng d?c bên giòng sông sâu. S?u vuong theo gió bay v? cu?i tr?i…”

Is this one the bridge?

Bridge in Lai Châu

The late songwriter, Tr?nh Công Son, also mentioned a bridge in his song.

“ Em di qua c?u, có gió bay theo…” ( She crossed the bridge, the breeze followed). Forget about translating Tr?nh Công Son’s lyrics. They are full of poetic images and so much implication. He did not say a word but I could imagine a maiden wearing áo dài and the breeze graced the long ends of the dress.

Tr?nh Công Son lived in Hu?. So the bridge he mentioned could be c?u Tru?ng Ti?n which was famous with the following verses in Ca Dao.
“C?u Tru?ng Ti?n dài mu?i hai nh?p
Thuong nhau r?i xin k?p v? mau
K?o mai kia bóng x? qua c?u
B?n còn thuong b?n bi?t ai s?u hon ai”

Bridge Tru?ng Ti?n, 12 parts
Loving each other please rush home
As the sun sets over the bridge
One misses the other, who is sadder than whom




Vietnamese folksongs talk a lot about bridges

C?u Tre

Ví d?u c?u ván dóng dinh
C?u tre l?t l?o g?p g?nh khó di
Khó di m? d?t con di
Con di tru?ng h?c, m? di tru?ng d?i


Wooden bridge attached by nails
Bamboo bridge is unsettled, difficult to pass.
Difficult, mom will help,
You go to school, mom tends life.







A bridge was blamed when a couple exchanged shirts with each other.

“Yêu nhau c?i áo cho nhau,
V? nhà m? h?i, qua c?u gió bay

Love each other, we exchange our shirts. Lie to mother that the shirt was blown away as we crossed the bridge. One would wonder what the couple had done to wear each other shirt accidentally.


http://www.ivce.org/gallery/gallery.html Tzay village


Bridge in Vietnamese literature rhymed with sadness and symbolized a farewell or a shattered love. The above bridge reminds another Ca Dao:

Qua c?u ngã nón trông c?u
C?u bao nhiêu nh?p d? em s?u b?y nhiêu