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D
anang has long been known
for its beautiful beaches that
stretch for miles, the iconic
Marble Mountains and the
nearby French-established hill station
of Ba Na. But, today the town’s new,
brightly lit bridges are beginning to
earn their place on Danang’s postcards.
Over the last decade, four new
bridges have been built over the Han
River. Last March, when Danang cel-
ebrated 38 years of liberation from
the former American-backed southern
regime, it opened two new bridges at
the same time. In total, the city plans
11 bridges over the river, which lo-
cal authorities hope will help promote
tourism.
In 1975, when the northern and
southern regions of Vietnam were uni-
fied after more than 20 years of being
divided by the French and Americans,
Danang was still divided into two parts
by the Han River. The area to its east
was poor, with slums populated with
manual workers and fishermen. In con-
trast, the western side prospered.
The local authorities wanted to
bridge the gap between the two and
16 years ago they called for donations
of local peoples to construct a bridge.
Three years later, the Han River Bridge
was opened to traffic, and became an
iconic image of this central city.
To allow big ships to pass, the
bridge was designed with a span that
can be lifted and rolled. This can be
seen every day at midnight, as ships
from the East Sea go through to dock
at Song Thu port. The Han River Bridge
has helped transform the east part of
the city where new residential areas,
motels, hotels and resorts have mush-
roomed in recent years.
Following the construction of the
Han River Bridge, the municipal authori-
ties wanted to create more opportuni-
ties for economic and tourist develop-
ment in the eastern part of the city.
In 2003, they started building Thuan
Phuoc – the most modern and beautiful
suspension bridge in the country.
Four years ago, the bridge was fin-
ished, serving as a key connection on
what is referred to as the ‘five-star tour-
36
timeout
The new bridges that span the Han River in Danang
are not only serving as transport arteries, but also
art works that are drawing in the tourists, writes
Linh Giang
BRIDGES
THE CITY OF
Tran Thi Ly Bridge
Dragon Bridge
Thuan Phuoc Bridge