The City That Built a 50-Year Bridge Project in Just 4 Years: A Remarkable Feat of Engineering

Hải Phòng, a bustling city in northern Vietnam, is strategically located at the intersection of Hanoi, Hai Phong, and Quang Ninh – a triangle of significant development dynamics. Nicknamed the “three-legged golden stool,” the city aims to strike a balance between its robust industrial sector, thriving port services, and burgeoning tourism industry. With a vision to become a driving force in the region’s growth, Hai Phong is charting a course to enhance its tourism appeal, complementing its strong foothold in port services and industrial prowess.

According to the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 323/QD-TTg, which approves the adjusted master plan for Hai Phong city until 2040 with a vision towards 2050, the city is gearing up its tourism infrastructure. By 2030, Hai Phong aims to accommodate 30-35 million visitors, with that number rising to 35-40 million by 2040.

One of the few localities in Vietnam boasting a comprehensive transportation network that encompasses five critical modes of transport – road, sea, rail, inland waterways, and air – Hai Phong is uniquely positioned to foster the parallel growth of its industrial sector, port services, and tourism.

Four Years, 46 Bridges: Transforming Hai Phong’s Landscape

In the early days of Vietnam’s renewal process, renowned poet To Huu celebrated Hai Phong’s progress in his famous poem, “Mung Hai Phong” (“Congratulating Hai Phong”). He penned, “Four canals, three bridges, five city gates! Digging rivers, reclaiming the sea, building a grand city…” Back then, Hai Phong proudly boasted three monumental bridges: Cau Rao, Cau Niem, and Cau An Duong. Today, however, the city’s landscape has undergone a remarkable transformation, with dozens of bridges of various designs sprouting up at an astonishing pace.

A recent addition to this growing list is the Ben Rung Bridge, which spans the Da Bach River and connects Hai Phong’s Thuy Nguyen district with Quang Yen town in Quang Ninh province. With the opening of this bridge in July 2024, travel time across the river has been reduced to a mere five minutes, a significant improvement from the 30-60 minute wait for the ferry previously.

The construction of the Ben Rung Bridge is part of the city’s strategy to replace outdated ferry services with modern bridges, enhancing intra-regional and inter-regional connectivity. This initiative commenced with the construction of the Binh Bridge, a cable-stayed bridge that replaced the Binh Ferry and connected the city’s inner district with Thuy Nguyen district.

Among the bridges that have left an indelible mark on the city’s development is the Tan Vu-Lach Huyen Bridge, the longest sea-crossing bridge in Vietnam as of its completion in 2017. With a length of 5.4 kilometers and an investment of nearly VND 12,000 billion, this bridge has drastically reduced travel time from Dinh Vu peninsula to Cat Hai island to just five minutes, down from a previous one-hour journey.

According to the Hai Phong Department of Transport, the city constructed 46 new bridges and hundreds of kilometers of roads between 2015 and 2020, with a total investment of nearly VND 44,000 billion. These expansive roads and bridges, spanning rivers like Cam, Lach Tray, Bach Dang, Van Uc, and Thai Binh, have become symbols of the city’s dynamic growth. Hai Phong now boasts approximately 8,000 kilometers of roads, a more than fourfold increase compared to 2005, and 145 bridges, nearly double the number in 2005.

By 2025, Hai Phong is expected to retain only one ferry route, the Dong Bai – Cai Vieng line connecting Cat Ba Island to the mainland. Experts suggest that replacing this ferry route with a bridge is challenging, not due to economic reasons, but because of factors related to maritime channels, geological conditions, and the protection of the Cat Ba Archipelago UNESCO-recognized World Biosphere Reserve.

Spurring Socio-Economic Development in Hai Phong

To further enhance its transportation infrastructure, Hai Phong has set an ambitious goal of constructing 100 bridges within five years, with a total investment of nearly VND 38,000 billion. Many of these bridges will serve as vital links to neighboring provinces, including Hai Duong, Quang Ninh, and Thai Binh. In 2021, the city allocated funds to build two bridges connecting to Hai Duong province: the Quang Thanh Bridge between An Lao district in Hai Phong and Thanh Ha district in Hai Duong, and the Dinh Bridge connecting Thuy Nguyen district in Hai Phong with Kinh Mon district in Hai Duong. The simultaneous completion of these bridges opened up vast regional connectivity between these localities.

The construction of new bridges in Hai Phong not only facilitates transportation but also acts as a catalyst for socio-economic development within the region and beyond. For instance, along the Lach Tray River, the existing Rao, Vo Nguyen Giap, and Niem bridges, along with the planned Rao 3 Bridge, are unlocking new growth opportunities for the districts of Duong Kinh, Kien An, Do Son, and Kien Thuy. By 2030, Kien Thuy, once a predominantly agricultural area, is envisioned to become a district within Hai Phong city.

On the Cam River, the Binh Bridge and the upcoming Hoang Van Thu Bridge (with construction expected to commence in 2024) are set to transform the city’s landscape. In 2025, Hai Phong’s political and administrative center is planned to relocate to the new urban area north of the Cam River in Thuy Nguyen district. Additionally, Thuy Nguyen is poised to become a city within Hai Phong in the same year.

Another notable project is the Dinh Vu-Cat Hai Bridge, the longest sea-crossing bridge in Vietnam, which connects the mainland to the Lach Huyen deep-sea port. Along with the Xuan Cau Duty-Free Zone project, these undertakings not only leverage Hai Phong’s strengths as a port city but also herald transformative changes for Cat Hai island.

These initiatives are poised not only to reshape the city’s urban landscape but also to propel its socio-economic development, contributing significantly to the region’s overall growth. They are integral to realizing the vision of making the Hai Phong-Quang Ninh region a modern, internationally competitive maritime economic center in Southeast Asia and a gateway for regional development.

In 2022, Hai Phong’s economy demonstrated robust growth, with a Gross Regional Domestic Product (GRDP) increase of 12.32% year-on-year, outpacing the national average. The city also attracted USD 2.5 billion in foreign direct investment (FDI) and, for the first time, surpassed the milestone of collecting over VND 100,000 billion in state budget revenue, ranking third in the country after Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City.

Moreover, the city’s expanding network of bridges and improved infrastructure have made Hai Phong an even more attractive destination for investors, particularly those from abroad. According to the Hai Phong People’s Committee, FDI inflows to the city have been on a consistent upward trajectory, rising from USD 1.4 billion in 2020 to a record-high USD 3.5 billion in 2023.