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Cầu Mống crosses the Ben Nghe Canal in Ho Chi Minh City and is the most famous historic bridge in the city. It was built by Société de construction de Levallois-Perret in 1894, and thus is one of the oldest known intact bridges in Vietnam. It was originally named Pont des Messageries Maritimes. The bridge is a riveted, spandrel-braced deck arch bridge. It originally carried highway traffic, however today the bridge has been preserved for non-motorized traffic only. The vehicular approach ramps have been removed, with pedestrian access being by way of stairs.
Despite its long history, the riveted steel arch retains its original design and materials and is one of the finest historic bridges in Vietnam.
The railing on the bridge is an attractive, riveted design, however it does not appear to be original to the bridge. It appears to be the third railing on the bridge, replacing a utilitarian railing that was on the bridge ca. 1955. The railing seen in ca. 1955 in turn was a replacement for the original railing which also can be seen in early photos of the bridge. Despite the current railing on the bridge not being original, it has a historic riveted design to it. It is not known if the railing was perhaps salvaged from another bridge.
The bridge has a long, shallow arch, and for a bridge constructed in 1894, the estimated 270 foot arch span is a fairly long single span for an arch of this design.
Above: Historical postcard of bridge showing it in its earlier years. The original railing is present on the bridge.
Above: The bridge in 1946. Here, a few panels of original railing are missing (front), a few original panels of original railing survive (middle) and other panels have been replaced (back).
Above: The bridge in 1955. The original railing has been replaced with a simple utilitarian railing.
Above: The bridge in 1955. The original railing has been replaced with a simple utilitarian railing.
This bridge is tagged with the following special condition(s): Unorganized Photos
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