The People’s Committee of central Thua Thien-Hue province has decided to invest nearly 13.2 billion VND (594,000 USD) to preserve, restore and renovate the Thanh Toan roof-tiled bridge, a local popular tourist attraction.
The project is carried out in three years from this September.
In 1776, the village was bestowed with a uniquely roof-tiled wooden bridge, a gift from a native who had to travel far away for marriage. The bridge freed locals from both sides of the waterway from the risks of travelling over the water, and also gave the village a charm that mirrored the clean water of the canal.
It is an arched wooden bridge, 17m long and 4m wide. On both sides of the bridge length are two rows of wooden platforms and parapets for people to lean their backs. The bridge is roofed with tubes.
For centuries, the bridge was appraised as one of the most complicated wooden spans in the country and is considered as beautiful as its sister Japanese-styled bridge in Hoi An.
City dwellers today take holidays to the bridge for Lunar New Year and enjoy playing traditional games at the same time.