Thanh Toan tile-roofed bridge, a rare structure in Hue city

The rainbow-shaped bridge spans across a small ditch in Thanh Thuy village, 8km east of Hue City. It is classified as one of the rarest and highly artistic ancient bridges in Vietnam.

This arched wooden bridge, 17m long and 4m wide, is divided into 7 compartments. The roof is covered with enamel tubular tiles.

These are enamel tubular tiles, which were used to roof buildings for the kings and the mandarins.

On top of the bridge, there is a pair of dragons looking towards the sun.

The edge of the bridge roof is elegantly designed in Hue Royal Court style.

The architectural parts are not sophisticatedly carved, but decorated with circular and square pieces.

The bridge consists of 7 compartments. The middle compartment is the biggest, where the altar worshipping the benefactor of the bridge, Ms. Tran Thi Dao, was placed. She donated money to build Thanh Toan bridge, making it easier for the villagers and visitors to travel and providing a place for them to rest.

The bridge’s pier system has 6 rows, each row has 3 pillars made of stone.

The supporting concrete bars slope up from both bridgeheads to the middle compartment, creating the arch shape of both floor and roof of the bridge and making it beautiful and high enough for boats to pass easily.