The Ho Chi Minh City Management Center of Public Transport under the municipal Department of Transport in late September proposed dismantling the deteriorating 50-year-old Long Kieng Bridge in the outlying district of Nha Be over safety concerns.

The new Long Kieng Bridge was put into use in September last year to facilitate travel and ensure safety for commuters, so it is vital to demolish the ramshackle one, according to the center.

The decades-old bridge is now mainly used by motorbikes and pedestrians. 

To minimize management costs and ensure commuter safety, the center has urged Ho Chi Minh City's Transportation Works Construction Investment Project Management Authority to disassemble the deteriorating bridge on Le Van Luong Street.

According to some locals, the bridge, which spans the Phuoc Kieng River, was built before 1975 -- the milestone when Vietnam was reunified.

The old two-meter-wide bridge, made of steel, connects Phuoc Kien Commune with Nhon Duc Commune in Nha Be District.

In 2018, the bridge collapsed when a truck carrying rocks was running on it, sending the truck and some motorbikes down to the river.

The new Long Kieng Bridge project was approved in 2001.

The 318-meter-long bridge project with two approach roads measuring 661 meters in length was opened to traffic in September 2023 after over 22 years of construction on account of site clearance issues.

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