Cầu khỉ

A cầu khỉ ("monkey bridge") in Vietnam is a handmade bamboo or wooden passway across a stream or gully. The "monkey bridge", as a uniquely Vietnamese traditional symbol, was the inspiration for the title of American author Lan Cao's novel Monkey Bridge.

It is also called a coconut bridge (if made of coconut tree) or bamboo bridge (if made of bamboo). These bridges, with or without handrails, are very difficult and dangerous for those who are not accustomed to them. Those familiar with them have been known to carry on their shoulder 20–50 kg while on the bridge.

Distribution

This type of bridge is also very popular in the Mekong Delta, because there is a system of streams. In coastal areas of the Red River Delta in northern Vietnam, such as Giao Thủy, Hải Hậu, ... (Nam Định Province) or Tiền Hải (Thái Bình Province) there are also footbridges, mainly for passersby to take care of rice in the fields. Before 1960, footbridges were also very popular in northern Vietnam. They would naturally follow the path of foot traffic, the bridges wading out of the water stream.

Competition on passing Cầu khỉ

Cầu khỉ are one of the old cultural signs in Vietnam. Now in industrialized regions sometimes there is a "Competition on passing Cầu khỉ by bicycle" for remembering the taste of footbridges.

Such a competition took place in Cửa Lò town, Nghệ An Province in March 2016. and in Bến Tre Province in 2017.

References

1. Japanese Bridge
2. Cầu Diễn station
3. Cầu Giấy station
4. Mekong
5. Monkey bridge
6. Khanh Hoa FC
7. Lê Trung Vinh
8. The Amazing Race Vietnam 2012
9. List of Vietnam international footballers born outside Vietnam
10. List of bridges in Vietnam
11. Nguyễn Đình Bắc
12. Vietnam National University station
13. Mobile Police Command
14. Chùa Hà station
15. List of tallest buildings in Vietnam
16. Lê Đức Thọ station
17. ISO 639-2
18. Nguyễn Hồng Phúc
19. Nguyễn Ngọc Thắng
20. Bùi Hoàng Việt Anh