Officials in southern Dong Nai Province on Sunday opened to traffic a bridge to connect the province’s heart to key industrial parks and make it easier to travel to Vung Tau, a popular resort city, from Ho Chi Minh City.

The construction of the An Hao Bridge, over the Cai River, a tributary of the Dong Nai River, was completed after 16 months.

The bridge, which measures 475m long, 23m wide, and has six lanes, is part of a project to build the Dong Nai Bridge anew, which is developed by Vietnam’s Construction Corporation No.1 (CC1) under the BOT (build-operate-transfer) scheme.

According to Le Huu Viet Duc, CC1 general director, the structure has a total length of 2,153m, including paths leading to the bridge, with investment amounting to VND937 billion (US$40.3 million).

The bridge will help ease traffic congestion at Vung Tau Intersection, and connect inner Bien Hoa City, the province’s heart, located approximately 30 kilometers from Ho Chi Minh City, with major industrial parks including Bien Hoa 1 and Bien Hoa 2. 

The bridge is also expected to serve as an arterial point connecting seamlessly with adjacent routes such as National Highway No.1, National Highway No. 51, Bien Hoa-Vung Tau Expressway and the under-construction Ben Thanh- Suoi Tien metro line in Ho Chi Minh City.

Speaking at the inaugural ceremony, Dinh Quoc Thai, chair of the provincial People’s Committee, underlined the bridge is one of the province’s principal projects helping improve the province’s and Bien Hoa City’s economic infrastructure in tandem with socio-economic growth.

“Opening the An Hao Bridge to traffic will help mitigate traffic congestion at Vung Tau Intersection, and cut travel time to downtown Bien Hoa from the current 30 minutes to only five to 10 minutes,” he added.

At the ceremony, certificates of merit were also presented to seven groups and 19 individuals for their efforts in completing the bridge construction ahead of schedule. 

Dinh Quoc Thai, chair of the Dong Nai People’s Committee, speaks at the ceremony. Photo: Tuoi Tre

A ferry is empty of passengers after the An Hao Bridge is open to traffic. Photo: Tuoi Tre

An Hao Bridge, which measures 475m long, 23m wide, and has six lanes. Photo: Tuoi Tre

Residents are seen riding on the An Hao Bridge. Photo: Tuoi Tre

With the An Hao Bridge in operation, the ferry rides between the banks of the Cai River will soon be a thing of the past. Photo: Tuoi Tre

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