A ''cầu khỉ'' ("monkey bridge") in Vietnam is a handmade
bamboo or wooden passway across a stream or gully.
[World's Scariest Bridges](_blank)
/ref> 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
The Mekong Delta ( vi, Đồng bằng Sông Cửu Long, lit=Nine Dragon River Delta or simply vi, Đồng Bằng Sông Mê Kông, lit=Mekong River Delta, label=none), also known as the Western Region ( vi, Miền Tây, links=no) or South-weste ...
, 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
Cài () is a Chinese-language surname that derives from the name of the ancient Cai state. In 2019 it was the 38th most common surname in China, but the 9th most common in Taiwan (as of 2018), where it is usually romanized as "Tsai" (based on ...
) 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
Cửa Lò is a district-level town of Nghệ An Province, in the North Central Coast region of Vietnam. As of 2018 the district had a population of 75,260. The district covers an area of 28 km² and it is located 290 km south of Hanoi, 1400 km n ...
town, Nghệ An Province in March 2016. and in Bến Tre Province in 2017.Chạy xe đạp qua cầu khỉ - TV BOX
Videoclip, Khu Du Lịch Lan Vương, Bến Tre, 2017. Retrieved 26/04/2018.
References
Bridges in Vietnam
{{Vietnam-transport-stub