Top 10 famous bridges in Vietnam — TalkVietnam

The Vietnam Record Centre (Vietking) has announced Top 10 famous bridges that attract domestic and foreign visitors and photographers.

Long Bien Bridge (Hanoi)

Long Bien Bridge was designed by world renowned engineer Gustave Eiffel, who was also the designer of the famous Eiffel Tower in Paris. It was constructed between 1899 and 1902 and first opened to traffic in 1903. At the time it was then the only bridge spanning the Red River connecting Hanoi and Haiphong port city.



The 116-year-old bridge spans three centuries and is considered an important and central part of Hanoi’s development and history.



The steel structure witnessed the withdrawal of French troops from Hanoi and welcomed Vietnamese soldiers to liberate the capital in 1954. It was also severely damaged by fierce American bombardments during wartime.

Vinh Tuy Bridge (Hanoi)

The bridge partly opened to traffic in September 2009 after the construction of key parts completed, helping ease traffic jam in Chuong Duong bridge and connecting roads.



As one of the seven bridges spanning over the Red River in the master plan of the capital city by 2020, Vinh Tuy bridge has been recognised as a high-quality project to celebrate the 1,000 th anniversary of Thang Long-Hanoi.

The bridge is 15 kilometres long with 3.7 km-river-spanning section.

Pa Uon bridge (Son La province)



Pa Uon bridge, located in the northern mountainous province of Son La, has the main pillar of 98.6m high, the highest one in the country and Southeast Asia.

The bridge is put into operation in August 2010.

Bai Chay Bridge (Quang Ninh province)

The main bridge is 903m long and 25.3m wide, with a clearance height of 50m, allowing 50,000-tonne vessels to pass through.



Spanning the Cua Luc Straits in Ha Long City and connecting Bai Chay with Hon Gai, the bridge facilitates traffic on National Highway No. 18, which links Ha Long City and Hanoi, and is expected to boost the economy of not only Quang Ninh but also the northern port city of Haiphong and Hanoi.

It was put into use in December 2006.

Cau Rong (Dragon) Bridge (Danang City)

Cau Rong (Dragon) Bridge on the Han River in Danang features 166 metres of undulating steel in the shape of a giant fire-breathing dragon flying towards the East Sea.



The main span of the 37.5m-wide bridge is bookended by two 128m side sections, with the dragon’s head and tail on each end of them. The whole structure weighs 8,164 tonnes and stretches 666m in length.

With unique aesthetic and creative characteristics, the bridge won the Diamond Award in the 2014 Engineering Excellence Awards (EEA) in the structural systems category.

After opening to traffic in March 2013, the Dragon Bridge has become one of Danang’s symbols and key tourist attractions.

Thuan Phuoc Bridge (Danang City)

Thuan Phuoc Bridge, the longest cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam, includes four lanes, a main span of 650 meters and two approaches of 600 meters each.



The bridge was constructed with a total invested capitalisation of VND1 trillion.

It ensures 27 meters of clearance for vessels on the river below and safety in strong storms and floods.

Thi Nai Bridge (Binh Dinh province)

Thi Nai Bridge in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh is the longest cross-bay bridge in Vietnam, spanning nearly 7km.



Nestled amidst the mystical beauty of Thi Nai Lagoon and Phuong Mai Peninsula, Thi Nai Bridge links the city of Qui Nhon to Nhon Hoi Economic Zone. It is not solely for transportation purpose but serves as an enticing tourist spot in Binh Dinh province.

Phu My Bridge (Ho Chi Minh City)

Phu My is the largest cable-stayed bridge in Ho Chi Minh City, linking District 2 and District 7 with a capacity of 100,000 vehicles per day.



The cable-stayed part over the Saigon River is 705 m long (380 m main span) and 27.5 m wide, supporting six traffic lanes: two in each direction for motor-vehicles, one for motorbikes and bicycles and a 1,5 m-wide pavement for pedestrians.

It has total investment capitalisation of VND2.076 billion.

My Thuan Bridge (Vinh Long province)

My Thuan is a cable-stayed bridge over the Mekong river, connecting Cai Be District of Tien Giang province with Vinh Long City in Vinh Long province.



It was developed in a joint venture between the governments of Australia and Vietnam. The bridge was the largest overseas assistance project undertaken by the Australian government costing AUD1 million.

It was built by Bilfinger Berger and completed in 2000.

Can Tho Bridge (Can Tho City)

Can Tho is a cable-stayed bridge over the Hau (Bassac) River – the largest distributary of the Mekong River in the southern city of Can Tho. The bridge has six lanes measuring 23m in width, with 4 lanes for traffic and two for pedestrians.



Inaugurated in 2010, Can Tho Bridge is the longest main span (550m) bridge in Southeast Asia, with construction cost of VND4.842 trillion (roughly US$342.6 million), making it the most expensive bridge in Vietnam



Top 10 famous bridges in Vietnam — TalkVietnam

Quang Ninh bestows ‘Tourism Beach’ title on two destinations — TalkVietnam

Quang Ninh Province has recognised Soi Sim beach in Ha Long Bay and Tra Co beach in Mong Cai town as meeting standards required for tourism.





Tra Co beach (Source: dulichgo)

It now requires local authorities to display “Tourism Beach” signs and enforce rules specific to such beaches.

Both have soft sand, reliable security and rescue systems, and well-trained service teams.

The Quang Ninh Province Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism has also been tasked with organising a provincial tourism logo and slogan contest in co-operation with the local Literature and Arts Association.

The department hopes to hold the contest this year with assistance from marketing consultancies.

(Viet Nam News)







Quang Ninh bestows ‘Tourism Beach’ title on two destinations — TalkVietnam

Quang Ninh urged to fully tap its potential — TalkVietnam

Quang Ninh urged to fully tap its potential

Posted on June 28, 2014 Written by nhandan Leave a Comment

Nhan Dan Online – Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has suggested the northern province of Quang Ninh mobilize domestic and foreign resources to develop a system of planned and modern infrastructure, with a focus on upgrading its transport networks, in order to fully tap its strengths and potential.

Deputy PM Hai gave this instruction while attending and chairing a June 28 conference held in Ha Long city to reform Quang Ninh’s investment promotion and improve the province’s competitiveness.

He praised the great efforts and outstanding achievements made by Quang Ninh authorities and people, affirming that the province possessed every factor for rapid and sustainable growth with its specific advantages in natural conditions and geographic location.

He urged the province to promote socio-economic development in combination with national defence, facilitate administrative procedure reform and develop highly qualified human resources as well as to promote the application of technological and scientific advances and implement drastic measures to remove difficulties for local enterprises.

Quang Ninh was also asked to quickly improve its investment environment and national competitive capacities and actively facilitate international integration, to make effective use of its strengths and potential.

At the conference, the provincial authorities introduced a series of projects calling for investment in transport, technical, tourism and recreation infrastructure. Participants including domestic and foreign managers, investors, enterprises and experts also discussed investment opportunities in Quang Ninh, while proposing policies and solutions to help the province make best use of opportunities brought about by globalization.

On the occasion, Quang Ninh leaders signed several co-operative agreements and memoranda of co-operation with both domestic and overseas businesses, and granted investment licenses to projects worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

(Source: VGP/ Translated by Nhan Dan Online)

Chinese tour operators push down prices | Look At Vietnam

Chinese tour operators push down prices

June 15, 2012

A number of China-based travel firms that bring Chinese tourists to Vietnam via the Huu Nghi border gate in Lang Son are forcing local partners to pull down prices.

A Chinese tourist shops at a traditional market.

A four-day-three-night tour is priced at only 300 yuan, or VND1 million, so services are poor, affecting the image of Vietnam as a tourism destination.
A senior source from the Travel Department of the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism said many local tour operators are complaining about this situation. Previously, similar tours are priced at 500 yuan, but now when service prices pick up, the foreign partners push prices down to 300 yuan, leading to low service quality.
“A meal for tourists is suggested at VND30,000, then quality cannot be guaranteed. Price squeeze, quality impairment occur more and more frequently,” said the source.
Tour programs for Chinese visitors coming via the Huu Nghi border gate are usually traditional tours from Lang Son to Hanoi, Haiphong and Quang Ninh. Now, this kind of tour has been expanded to the central region.
Despite expanded tour routes and better conditions for border crossing, the number of tourists is dropping.
“The tourist source is huge, but only tens of thousands of tourists cross the border gate every year, and now the volume is falling. Poor service is one of the reasons,” said the source from the travel department.
China is currently the biggest source market for Vietnam’s tourism with more than 1.4 million arrivals in 2011. Tourists from this neighboring country can enter Vietnam using passports or laissez-passers via the inland border gates in Lang Son and Lao Cai or by sea.
The fact that Chinese partners are pushing down prices and cut down on services not only happens at border gates, but also in other road tours. Several companies accept to lose partners and tourists as they cannot reduce prices further.
SGT

Yen Tu Festival

Yen Tu Festival

Situated within the immense arched mountain range of north-eastern Vietnam, Yen Tu Mountain in northern coastal Quang Ninh Province bears at its peak the Dong Pagoda: at an altitude of 1,068m above sea level. The beauty of Yen Tu consists in the majesty of its mountains mingling with the ancient and solemn quietness of its pagodas, shrines and towers. Yen Tu has been a centre of Buddhism for many centuries, and is the starting point of the Buddhist sect of Truc Lam. Travellers to Yen Tu Festival to stay away from the mundane and go on a religion pilgrimage in the midst of the mighty nature.

The history...

Under the Ly Dynasty, Yen Tu held the Phu Van Pagoda, with Yen Ky Sinh as its warden. But Yen Tu only really became a Buddhism centre when Emperor Tran Nhan Tong surrendered his throne to establish a Buddhist sect called Thien Truc Lam and became the first progenitor with the religious name Dieu Ngu Giac Hoang Tran Nhan Tong (1258-1308). He ordered building hundreds of constructions, large and small on Yen Tu Mountain for leading a religious life, sermonizing. After his death, his successor, Phap Loa Dong Kien Cuong (1284 - 1330) the second progenitor of Thien Truc Lam, compiled a set of book “Thach that ngon ngu” and ordered the building of 800 pagodas, shrines and towers with thousands of value statues throughout 19 years of religious life. Some famous pagodas are Quynh Lam, Ho Thien. There is the third progenitor of Thien Truc Lam, Huyen Quang Ly Dao Tai (1254 - 1334), in the sermonizing centre of Phap Loa.

Passing through to the Le and Nguyen Dynasties, Yen Tu became the focal point of Vietnamese Buddhism, and was often subject to restorations. It is a meeting place of different styles from various historic periods: visible in the many different designs and decorations that ornate its constructions.

The mountain scenery and beautiful pagodas and hermitages, inspired King Tran Nhan Tong, who reigned over the country from 1279 to 1293, to pass the throne to his son to lead the life of a Buddhist monk at Yen Tu. There, he founded the Truc Lam medication sect, making Yen Tu the country’s leading Buddhist center.

... and the festival

Yen Tu Festival commences annually on the 10th day of the first lunar month and lasts for three months. Tens of thousands of pilgrims begin their journey to the uppermost shrine after a solemn ritual held at the base of Yen Tu Mountain.

During the festival, the people near and far flock to Yen Tu which was regarded as the Buddhist land to show their belief and aspiration or to get rid of all sorrows and sadness. Other go to Yen Tu to do sightseeing and to enjoy the pure atmosphere of a mountain region. Foreign visitors come to Yen Tu to witness a famous beauty spot, a mysterious tourist attraction. Many cultural and historical values are carefully preserved in Yen Tu, where is also home to a rare ecosystem in Vietnam.

In the wide ensemble of vestiges in Yen Tu, there are 11 pagodas and hundreds of shrines and towers. One form of entertainment is to climb the peak to where the Dong Pagoda was built (1,068m above the sea). On the way, you will see pagodas, a tower, a stream and a forest. At the top, after having burned joss-sticks, you seem to be lost in nature somewhere between the sky and the earth. When clear, you can perceive almost all of the northeast area from here.

The route of the pilgrimage from the foot of the mountain to the pagoda is nearly 30 km. The highest point of Yen Tu is Dong Pagoda, which is located 1,068 m above sea level. You can get to Hoa Yen Pagoda at the altitude of 534m by the cable car system recently put into operation and will see on this peak two 700-year-old frangipane trees. From there, you will continue walking up stairs to pagodas of minor note lined up along the path leading to Dong Pagoda. There you will feel like walking on clouds. If the weather is agreeable, from this summit you can admire the dramatic landscape of the northeast of Vietnam.

The complex of historical sites and beauty spots in Yen Tu features various pagodas, shrines or stupas now appearing now disappearing under the thick foliage of the primary show their belief, or doing away with all sorrow and sadness. Others go to Yen Tu to do sightseeing and to enjoy the pure atmosphere of a mountain region. Foreign visitors come to Yen Tu to witness a famous beauty spot, a mysterious tourist attraction. Anyone who makes all the way to the Bronze Pagoda feels the magnificence of Yen Tu and forests. Atop Yen Tu Mountain, one feels like standing by the Heave Gate shrouded in white cloud. On clear days one can have a partial view of the northeastern region

Vietnam prepares for Parma as storm to make landfall | Look At Vietnam

Vietnam banned all boats along the northern coast from heading to sea as Tropical Storm Parma moved over the Gulf of Tonkin and headed for the country after leaving more than 300 people dead in the Philippines and China.

Vietnam’s National Committee for Flood and Storm Control said on its website the storm is bringing winds as high as 88 kilometers (55 miles) per hour along with heavy rain as it approaches the coast.

These conditions are forecast to remain in effect until about midday on Wednesday, it said.

The committee ordered local authorities to evacuate people in areas that may be affected by tidal surge from the northern province of Quang Ninh to Ha Tinh by 7 p.m. local time as the storm is moving toward the coast line at high speed, according to an update posted on the committee’s website Tuesday. All rescue forces will have to be on stand-by for immediate action when required, the statement said.

Parma’s center may be located about 130 kilometers east of the coast near Hanoi by 7 p.m. local time, according to another statement on the government’s website Tuesday. Parma is forecast to weaken to a tropical depression after crossing the coast.

The system is threatening to make its fifth landfall in a third country, after crossing the Philippines island of Luzon three times last week, leaving at least 311 people dead. Parma hit China’s southern island of Hainan Monday, killing at least three people.

The storm is forecast to cross the Vietnamese coast south of Hanoi later Tuesday or early Wednesday, the US Joint Typhoon Warning Center said in its latest advisory.

Capsized boat

Three people died in China after their boat was capsized in the storm off Wanning city, the state-run Xinhua News Agency said, citing the Hainan Provincial Emergency Response Office.

In the Philippines, forty-eight people remain missing in Luzon while 80,262 are in evacuation centers, the National Disaster Coordinating Council said in a report Tuesday.

Vietnam was hit by Typhoon Ketsana on Sept. 29, leaving 163 people dead and 11 missing, according to the Vietnamese government.

Ketsana left 337 people dead and 37 missing in the Philippines when it crossed Luzon as a tropical storm three days earlier.

Source: Bloomberg

First Vietnam’s beach golf course begins operation

An 18-hole golf course by Vinh Thuan Joint Venture Company has been inaugurated in Mong Cai Beach, the northern province of Quang Ninh. This is a major project under the provincial tourism development strategy. The golf course, located along the romantic Tra Co Beach, was designed to international standard. This is the first course in Vietnam having two separate runs one for training and the other for competition. Other services such as restaurants and tour guides around the area are available for guests. To increase the capacity of the golf course during summer, Vinh Thuan Company established golf tours by sea such as Mong Cai – Hai Phong – Van Don, Mong Cai – Cat Ba and Mong Cai – Hai Phong. Tourists will enjoy tow days in a five-star hotel, go sightseeing and play golf. The golf course greeted 40 Japanese tourists, 600 Korean tourists and more than 1,000 Chinese tourists. Moreover, the company also provides golf lessons for admirers. Quang Ninh has much potential to develop tourism because the province is home to famous landscapes in Vietnam such as Ha Long Bay, Yen Tu Pagoda and Tra Co Beach. In the first four months of 2008, the province attracted nearly 1.6 million tourists.