People having to commute through an infamous intersection in District 8, Ho Chi Minh City can now expect their daily travel would become much easier as a new bridge was inaugurated on Thursday.

The Nhi Thien Duong 1 Bridge was put into use after nine months of construction, three months earlier than scheduled.

The structure lies in a crucial traffic hub, linking District 5, District 8 and Binh Chanh District and functioning as a connection point between Ho Chi Minh City and Mekong Delta provinces.

The bridge is connected to such streets as Pham The Hien, Tung Thien Vuong, Tuy Ly Vuong, National Highway No. 50 and the Binh Dong Wharf, playing a certain role in local eco-social development.

Despite its crucial position, the area surrounding the bridge is a traffic hotspot, where heavy congestion takes place almost on a daily basis.

The new bridge, measuring 800m in length, consumed a total investment of VND163 billion (US$7.18 million).

The old Nhi Thien Duong 1 Bridge, which was built nearly a century ago, was dismantled in February to prepare for the construction of the new bridge.

“During construction, we have either maintained or restored all light poles, bearing the ancient architecture of the old bridge, as well as the old name sign, to keep them as a memory of an ancient Saigon,” the project developer said.

The name sign of the bridge, aged nearly 100 years old, is maintained. Photo: Tuoi Tre

The Nhi Thien Duong 1 Bridge runs parallel to the Nhi Thien Duong 2 Bridge, both crossing over the Doi Canal.

From Thursday, the Nhi Thien Duong 1 will be opened to traffic from the city center to District 8, and the Nhi Thien Duong 2 in the opposite direction.

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