The World’s Largest Steel Dome: A Marvel of Engineering and Human Endurance

The National Exhibition Center, located in Dong Anh, Hanoi, spans over 90 hectares, with an indoor exhibition area of 304,000 square meters, ranking it among the top 10 in the world.

Construction of this project commenced on August 30, 2024, with a total investment of over VND 7,000 billion by Vietnam Exhibition Fair Center JSC (VEFAC), a subsidiary of Vingroup.

This center will host an exhibition celebrating the achievements in construction, defense, and development of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam for its 80th anniversary.

After approximately 10 months of construction, the project is nearing completion and is set to open on August 19, becoming the central venue for the anniversary celebrations.

The remarkable construction speed of this 100% Vietnamese project is a testament to the capabilities of local private enterprises. Of particular note is the construction of the massive 24,000-ton steel dome.

According to Vingroup’s Vice Chairman, Mr. Nguyen Viet Quang, the most important and challenging aspect of the project was the 24,000-ton steel dome.

“The dome had to be constructed with a maximum error margin of a few millimeters, and there was no room forredoing it. It was a very difficult task,” he said.

Mr. Trinh Tien Dung, Chairman and CEO of Dai Dung Group, was invited to take on the dome construction with a tight deadline of just five months.

According to the contractor, Dai Dung, more than 1,000 workers and engineers worked around the clock in three shifts, maximizing resources, materials, and super-heavy equipment, including cranes with a capacity of up to 500 tons.

This massive dome is designed as a space truss with radial trusses simulating a turtle shell. The dome utilizes ASTM-standard steel capable of withstanding winds of up to 125 mph and earthquakes of up to magnitude 8.

Notably, over 100,000 high-strength steel bolts and nuts were installed with a permitted error of less than 3mm, coupled with 3D laser scanning technology to control deformation and ensure absolute accuracy.

Upon completion, the dome not only met the stringent requirements but also set a record as the largest steel dome structure in the world, with all steel produced in Vietnam.

Dai Dung was also the contractor for the Lusail Stadium project in Qatar, which hosted the 2022 FIFA World Cup final. This was not the first time Dai Dung has faced such a challenging timeline.

Dai Dung was brought on board at the last minute and had to go through rigorous factory inspections, production plans, and construction capability assessments.

Within a year, Dai Dung supplied 6,000 tons of steel for the Lusail Stadium and an additional 28,000 tons for the Ras Abu Aboud Stadium (Stadium 974) – a modular construction with a 2mm technical error margin.

Following this project, Dai Dung was included in FIFA’s list of contractors and has worked with several international construction corporations. Unlike many businesses that only participate in a small part of the process, Dai Dung undertakes the entire value chain, including design, production, transportation, and installation.

Currently, the company owns six factory clusters spanning nearly 100 hectares, with an annual capacity of 300,000 tons and a workforce of over 6,000 employees, including nearly 1,000 engineers, serving large-scale projects worldwide.