If there were a title for âthe most notoriously haunted bridge in Central Vietnam,â Da Co Bridge would be a strong contender. It is a place where eerie tales have been passed down through generations, causing many travelers to hesitate and whisper prayers before crossing. But is this bridge truly haunted, or merely the product of stories embellished over time?
The Curse Beneath the Bridge
The eerie legends of Da Co Bridge date back to around 1825, during the reign of Emperor Minh Mang. At that time, in Hoa My village, there was a young woman named Co Ba from Go Noi, Quang Nam. Beautiful, talented, and wealthyâshe seemed to have everything one could wish for. But in folklore, women who appear too perfect rarely meet a happy fate.
One evening at the market, Co Ba vanished. The next morning, her lifeless body was found floating beneath the bridge, stripped of all her belongings. Some said she was murdered by robbers; others whispered of a tragic love affair ending in despair. No one knew the truth. But from that day forward, the bridge was never at peace again.
The villagers, mourning her fate, buried her beneath the bridge and built a small shrine in her memory. But then, something strange happenedâthose crossing the bridge at night often felt a chill running down their spine, as if an invisible hand had brushed against them. Some even swore they had seen a ghostly figure in white standing silently beneath the bridge, gazing into the dark waters.
And then, the mysterious deaths began.
The Call from Below: The Unsolved Suicides
Locals believe that this bridge âcallsâ out to heartbroken women. Many young girls, particularly those suffering from love troubles, have thrown themselves into the river, as if an unseen force had led them there.
One rainy night, truck driver Nguyen Van T. reported a chilling encounter. As he was driving across the bridge, his headlights illuminated a figure standing in the middle of the roadâa woman in white, her long hair covering half her face. Panicked, he slammed on the brakes. But when the truck stopped, the woman was gone, leaving only a thin mist rising from the wet road.
That wasnât the worst part. When he opened the door to step out and check, he felt an icy breath on the back of his neck, as if someone were standing right behind him. Yet when he turned around, there was only darkness and the distant murmur of the river below.
And he wasnât the only one. Fishermen near the bridge have claimed to hear a womanâs soft cries drifting up from the water late at night. But whenever they shone their flashlights down, the river remained still, with no one in sight.
The Stone Tape Theory: A Mark of Tragedy
These stories are not unique to Da Co Bridge. Across the world, locations that have witnessed great tragedy often exhibit similar eerie phenomena. Paranormal researchers refer to this as an “energy imprint,” a concept linked to the Stone Tape Theory.
This theory, first proposed by Thomas Charles Lethbridge and later popularized by Andrew MacKenzie, suggests that highly emotional or traumatic events (such as untimely deaths or violent accidents) can be ârecordedâ by the surrounding environment, particularly on surfaces like stone, water, and earth. Under certain conditions, these memories can âreplay,â causing some people to experience ghostly apparitions, a sense of being watched, or sudden cold chills.
If this theory holds true, could the tragedies at Da Co Bridge have left behind an invisible imprint on the space itself?
Paranormal Activity at the Construction Site
In early 2011, the Da Nang government decided to renovate Da Co Bridge, expanding nearby residential areas and reinforcing the canal banks. But soon after construction began, workers started experiencing bizarre events.
Several laborers reported sleep paralysisâthe sensation of being pinned down in bed by an unseen force, unable to move or breathe. Others claimed to have seen a woman gliding over the water, but when they rushed toward her, she simply dissolved into a thin mist.
Eventually, the workers, desperate for peace, set up a small shrine at the site and began lighting incense daily. From that point on, the disturbances faded. But was it truly the shrine that stopped them, or had they simply convinced themselves that everything was now fine?
Psychology vs. the Supernatural
Psychologists, however, offer a different explanation. They argue that all these supernatural occurrences might be nothing more than the power of suggestion.
One experiment revealed that when people were placed in a completely normal room and told it was haunted, many immediately reported feeling “strange vibes,” hearing odd noises, or even seeing shadows. This phenomenon is known as self-suggestionâwhen our beliefs shape what we perceive.
So, is Da Co Bridge genuinely haunted, or have the countless ghost stories tricked our minds into believing in the unseen?
Legend or Reality?
After all, the real question isnât “Is Da Co Bridge haunted?”
The real question is:
đ Would you dare to walk across it alone at midnight? đ
Whether you believe in ghosts or demons, one thing is undeniableâfear is real. And sometimes, it is fear itself that keeps them haunting the darkness.
