The largest ferry route in the North
After nearly half a century of operation, the Forest ferry connecting Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, one of the largest ferry routes in the North, will soon cease operations due to the construction of the Ben Rung Bridge.
The Ben Rung ferry terminal is the largest ferry route in the North, with a distance of about 1.2 km between the two terminals. Every day, this ferry terminal welcomes thousands of passengers and vehicles with over 100 trips.
The Quang Ninh Department of Transportation has issued a notice regarding the transfer of transportation on the ferry route. Currently, the Rung ferry route has 3 non-self-propelled ferries, 2 passenger ferries, and 3 hand-pulled motorized rafts, all of which are state-owned assets.
The Forest ferry connects Hai Phong and Quang Ninh, the largest ferry route in the North. Photo: Resources & Environment Newspaper
The Quang Ninh Department of Transportation has requested that the city-level People’s Committees reconsider the plan and current situation to determine the demand for these modes of transportation, then submit a written request to the Department for consolidation and proposal to the Quang Ninh Provincial People’s Committee.
The Ben Rung ferry terminal connects Thuy Nguyen district in Hai Phong City with Quang Yen town in Quang Ninh province across the Bach Dang River, also known as the Stone Bach River. This is the only remaining route connecting Hai Phong and Quang Ninh that people have to use the ferry to travel on.
In the area of the ferry terminal on the Bach Dang River, the river has an average width of about 1,000 meters and the widest point is nearly 2,000 meters, with an average depth of 10 meters. Sometimes, it can take nearly half an hour to travel from one terminal to another. On average, the large ferry runs 30 trips per day, while the small ferry runs 20 trips.
The bridge of the future, connecting two rapidly growing regions in the North
The Ben Rung Bridge project, a particularly important transport project approved by the Hai Phong City People’s Council on December 22, 2020, has a total budget of up to 1,941 billion VND.
Design mockup of the Ben Rung Bridge. Photo: Project Management Board of Hai Phong’s Transport Works
The investment capital for this project is coming from three sources: the central budget with 1,100 billion VND, the Hai Phong City budget providing 835.49 billion VND, and the Quang Ninh province contributing 5.5 billion VND (for land clearance work in the part of the bridge under Quang Ninh province).
The Ben Rung Bridge will be constructed at a distance of about 3.7 km upstream from the current Rung ferry route, in the direction of the upper reaches, located in Hai Phong City’s Gia Duc commune, Thuy Nguyen district, about 4.3 km from the Chanh River bridge and about 6.4 km from National Highway 18.
Image of the Ben Rung Bridge in December 2023. Photo: Hai Phong City ICT Portal
The total length of the bridge is about 1,857 meters, including a main bridge made of prestressed concrete, with 4 lanes for motor vehicles and 2 lanes for mixed vehicles; the design speed on the main bridge is 80 km/h. This project is expected to be completed and put into operation in May 2024.
With strong determination to create a new connection for the two localities, the investor and contractors have focused on increasing manpower, vehicles, and overcoming difficulties to expedite the progress. Currently, the project has officially resumed according to the outlined plan.
During the completion process from now until May, the investor and contractors commit to working overtime, establishing additional shifts to quickly complete the remaining tasks.
The Ben Rung Bridge will open a new connection between Hai Phong and Quang Ninh. Photo: Vietnam Finance
This will be the third bridge connecting Quang Ninh province and Hai Phong City, following the Bac Dang Bridge and the Stone Silver Bridge. The completion of the Ben Rung Bridge will help residents of Quang Yen town and Thuy Nguyen district to travel quickly without having to wait for the Rung ferry for 30-60 minutes or go 40 km around to National Highway 18, then continue to National Highway 10 as before.
When completed, the Ben Rung Bridge project will become a new driving force for regional connectivity and promote the economy, culture, and society between the two localities, as well as attract labor for industrial zones.
