The bridges, two in Chiem Hoa district, two in Son Duong district, one in Yen Son district and one in Phuc Yen district, were built under the Ministry of Construction’s project on building suspension bridges in 28 provinces in the north, central and Central Highlands regions.

The construction received supports from local people as solid bridges have been their dream for a long time. Not only do the bridges change the lives of residents in disadvantaged areas, it also shortens the road to schools for mountainous students.

A suspension bridge

According to Tran Viet Cuong, an official from the provincial Department of Transport, the construction was completed ahead of schedule thanks to speedy land clearance process.

He added that some 132 existing bridges in the province need repair with estimated cost of 275 billion VND (12.27 million USD).

In a field trip to the province in late 2015, the World Bank (WB)’s Country Director for Vietnam Victoria Kwakwa said that the WB is working with the Vietnamese Government on the second phase of the suspension bridge building project in disadvantaged areas.

The WB will splash out 250 million USD on bridge construction in 50 provinces and cities, including Tuyen Quang, she highlighted.

Some 4,000 bridges are expected to be built during 2015-2017, funded from the WB’s loans.

Statistics from the transport ministry indicate that there are about 1,950 suspension bridges in Vietnam. About 810 operational bridges - roughly 40 percent - have shown signs of erosion and rust. Up to 94 percent of them are located on roads connecting villages and communes.

Source: VNA