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ism road’ which stretches from the Hai
Van pass through the Son Tra Penin-
sula and on toward Hoi An old town. The
bridge and the road have boosted the
tourism potential of the Son Tra Penin-
sula and the 30-kilometre coastal stretch,
with new resorts such as the InterConti-
nental, Hyatt Regency and Crowne Plaza
opening over the last few years.
The bridge sparkles with different
colours at night, when many people vis-
it. It is also a great spot for viewing the
Danang International Firework Contest,
which takes place at the end of April.
The city has just completed another
two iconic bridges that will become a
magnet for tourists during the event.
The most impressive is the Dragon
Bridge, which connects the airport with
the beach. The design of the bridge trig-
gered a lot of controversy as designers
mulled over different shapes and how
to build the bridge without destroying
the apperance of the Cham Museum at
one end. Eventually, the design of the
American company, Louis Berger, won
over 17 others. Its form represents a
dragon flying over the Han River toward
the sea and works in harmony with the
Cham Museum.
Interestingly however, the head of
the dragon was not designed by the
American architects, but instead by Vi-
etnamese designer, Pham Van Hang.
He studied different dragon designs
through Vietnam’s history and settled
on a design including the eyes of the
dragon shaped as two hearts represent-
ing the kindness of Danang.
The dragon was also designed
with a gas-burning system to breathe
fire every Saturday and Sunday. How-
ever, some argued that Danang is hot
in summer and the fire would make it
seem even warmer. So, now the dragon
breathes fire and water.
Next to the Dragon Bridge stands
the Tran Thi Ly Bridge which was de-
signed by Holland’s WSP with a main
pillar of 145 metres in height topped
with an observation desk.
All the new bridges have extensive
lighting systems, meaning more must-
see spots at night.
The city has also worked with Sun
Group - the biggest developer in Da-
nang - to build a new bridge linking
downtown with My Khe beach. This
bridge will be for pedestrians only, and
the authorities say they are committed
to making it another work of art.
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