Abutments of Thuan An sea-crossing bridge 

Unlike the construction works we followed, the construction of Thuan An Bridge is like a permanent "breath" of not only the investor, and the contractor, but also the local leaders right from the outset of pitching camps, gathering materials, equipment, and machinery at the foot of Hai Duong and Thuan An sea.

Recently, in mid-August, on the construction site of Thuan An sea-crossing bridge, thousands of tons of iron and steel materials, along with machinery and equipment, have been gathered on barges to the positions to drive piles, drill injection holes from the sea and on land. Hundreds of technical workers despite the scorching weather urgently finalized the lower part on the sea surface and prepared to finalize the beam installation in terrestrial items...

Mr. Nguyen Nam Tung, Commander of Dat Phuong Group Joint Stock Company, involved in the construction of the Thuan An sea-crossing bridge project, said that the bridge has a length of more than 2.36km, a cross section of 26m. The bridge width is 20m, including 4 lanes. Dat Phuong unit participated in the construction of nearly 50% of the project workload. At this time, the bridge work finalized more than 50% of the plan. The two main abutments T27 and T26, located in the middle of the sea, about 218m apart are the most difficult items of the project, with more than 50% of the plan completed. This paves the way for accelerating the project progress located in the area on the sea surface.

Engineer Tran Anh Trung, representative of the construction supervision unit of the Thuan An sea-crossing bridge, said that with more than 15 years of career, he participated in supervising many large traffic projects inside and outside the locality, but never has he seen any project that the contractors arrange the construction work in a scientific, methodical way and speed up the progress like this bridge across the sea. “The weather is favorable. The contractors are proactive in human and material resources and construct at the current pace. The site clearance in the area of the two roads to the bridge will be finalized in the next 2 months. Therefore, Thuan An bridge over the sea mouth can open technical traffic by the end of October 2024” said engineer Trung.

Stepping out from the big construction site of the bridge across the sea, from Thuan An, getting a view of Hai Duong with the immense waves of water, in the wish for the sea-crossing bridge coming into sight, my heart throbbed. That feeling of wish remained lightheaded because ahead of our eyes was the Thuan An sea-crossing bridge gradually taking shape. All of a sudden, compared with the longest sea-crossing bridge in Vietnam, Nhon Hoi (Quy Nhon, Binh Dinh), Thuan An Bridge also deserves to be at the top of the sea-crossing bridge in the Central region.

Perspective of Thuan An sea-crossing bridge - the project is expected to be finalized  in March 2025 

Seeing us exchange information about the model and architecture of Thuan An Bridge, Ms. Tran Thi Hang (Hai Tien Village, Thuan An) with a tanned face dropped by. Feeling joyful, nearly a dozen other people in this residential unit also gathered to talk and laugh. Asking further, we knew that for decades now, Ms. Hang has worked as a ferry woman, transporting fish from Hai Duong to Thuan An and vice versa.

I asked Ms. Hang whether she was afraid of losing her job when the Thuan An sea-crossing bridge is about to be finalized. Ms. Hang firmly affirmed, “The bridge will help people here reduce their suffering, especially convenient transportation during rainstorms. With the birth of the bridge, many tourism projects will probably be launched. Tomorrow we will change our jobs and take tourists to visit the lagoon and sea."

Ms. Dinh Thi Bich (Thai Duong Ha village, Hai Duong commune) did not hide her joy, "For ages, day and night I have heard the sound of machines and people constructing the bridge. In fact, I had many sleepless nights when hearing the rumble, but my heart was always thrilled. Hopefully, the new bridge will be soon completed to remove barriers to trade and travel in the area, providing opportunities for the socio-economic development in the hometown."

Alongside that joy, Mr. Huynh Van Thong, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Thuan An Ward, Hue City recognizes that aside from Thuan An, when the bridge across the sea connects the spans, the neighboring areas near the coast and along the Tam Giang - Cau Hai Lagoon will have conditions to develop more strongly in trade and marine tourism.

That also lays the foundation for implementing the detailed plan of service and tourism infrastructure and arranging to expand residential areas, developing a more dynamic and modern Hue urban space. Concurrently, it creates the highlight to connect and develop Thua Thien Hue coastal road, which is more than 127km long, in the national coastal road master plan according to Decision 129/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister and creates more than 1,500 hectares of land fund with advantages of both sides for the socio-economic development of the sea area.

The project of the coastal road and bridge across Thuan An sea mouth has a total investment (phase 1) of VND 2,400 billion, implemented over 3 years. The road scale is 7,785m long. The length of the bridge is about 2.36km, starting from Tam Giang Bridge to the bridge across Thuan An estuary, ending at the intersection of National Highway 49A - National Highway 49B in Thuan An Ward (Hue City).

The project is owned by the Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board and implemented by the joint venture between Tan Nam Construction Joint Stock Company - Dat Phuong Group Joint Stock Company - 479 Hoa Binh Company, expected to be finalized in March 2025.

Story and photos: Minh Van