Crossing The Han: Danang's Iconic Bridges
Let us talk about Bridges over Danang's Han River. Why? Because, promoted or not, they are all worthy of a visitor's attention - at least 5 of them (since there are many).
To better understand what I'll be talking about, let's start with this google map:
That is part of the northeastern side of Danang, and I marked the 5 famous bridges.
Trần Thị Lý Bridge [Cầu Trần Thị Lý]
Let's start with the 5th one. That is the Trần Thị Lý Bridge that I passed-by last night when I arrived. It's this same bridge I saw earlier, near the APEC Sculpture Park. Eto:
It's a uniquely designed cable-stayed bridge with only one (145-meter-tall) tower that leans (slants) at 12° to the west. It's too easy to spot even from afar. Can you see it?
A friend who is both a licensed architect and civil engineer (yes, me ganun) tells me that this bridge is a very challenging structure to make, especially that it is on water.
He told me that for comparison, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was leaning at only 5.5° yet it had to be 'stabilized' to 3.97°, and it's only 56 meters tall. This bridge is lankier!
Wow, di ba?! And on the artistic/cultural side, this Trần Thị Lý Bridge is supposed to 'portray' the sail of a boat (that tower is the mast) facing the East Vietnam Sea. Nice!
As said in my story last night, this bridge is rather new, constructed and inaugurated together, as in AT THE SAME TIME, with Dragon Bridge that is #3 on the map above.
However, unlike Dragon Bridge which was/is new where it is, Trần Thị Lý Bridge was constructed to replace its very old self [the oldest bridge on Han River, circa 1950s], and another 'also old' bridge beside it (Nguyễn Văn Trỗi) that we will talk about next.
Anyway, remnants of the old Trần Thị Lý Bridge is totally gone now.
Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Pedestrian Bridge [Cầu đi bộ Nguyễn Văn Trỗi]
This is #4 on that map above, and I don't have any pictures hehe! But I do know, that this bridge was 2nd on the Han River, and built by the Americans around mid-1960s.
Note that its present name is 'Pedestrian Bridge'. It happened only in 2013 when old bridges #4 and #5 were to be demolished - since the new bridge #5 was already up!
Their story: during an inspection of the new and soon-to-be-demolished structures, a high official asked the transport department if bridge #4 could instead be used as a boardwalk or promenade for locals and tourists alike. Result of their study? Go rah!!
So ganun na nga, bridge #4 on my map above, Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge wasn't at all demolished. It instead became the Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Pedestrian Bridge. Since when? Since the day that the new Trần Thị Lý Bridge (#5) and Dragon Bridge (#3) operated.
Here they are, and this is not my pic (I just grabbed this from VNCarRental's website)!
On foreground is the Trần Thị Lý Bridge (#5 on my map); and the simple looking tiny dark bridge beside is the Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Pedestrian Bridge (#4 on the same map).
It's not that simple-tiny-dark as it looks from afar, and beside the newer ones. Old as it is, even for today's standards, Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Pedestrian Bridge is a wonder too!
It is still one of the marvels in bridge-making technology - on earth! Look, one of the 14 spans can be raised to let big cargo vessels and/or passenger ships pass under.
Ni wala nga tayong ganyan, di ba?!
Oh yes, old, since it was built way back in 1965 by the Americans. But still a beauty!
Well, it started as just a wooden bridge, but was kept well and upgraded through the years. Now I don't wonder why a high official made it a park instead of dismantling it.
Historical and historic! That last pic is not mine. I plucked it from youindanang.com!
Dragon Bridge [Cầu Rồng]
This is bridge #3 on my map. It is a 1-syllable name, therefore easiest to remember! Cầu means Bridge, Rồng means Dragon. It sounds like Cow Zong when they speak!
That yellow thing is the 'dragon'. Head is at left, facing East Vietnam Sea (alams na!).
This is the city's most popular bridge, for locals and tourists alike, but I don't exactly know why. Maybe because it spurts real fire at various times in the evening? Maybe.
At nilakad ko yan! Yes, I walked from the "tail end" to the "head end" of that "dragon"!
It's not very long, just 666 meters. Yes, six-hundred-sixty-six meters from end to end!
When you're near the structure, you realize it's an overwhelmingly gigantic dragon!
That's the tail. Everything yellow is the dragon, and I guess it is made of heavy steel.
You also realize.., aside from aesthetics, the 'dragon's body' holds the entire bridge!
This bridge has a vertical clearance of 53 meters, similar to the Mactan Bridge 2, so it's not crazy high -medyo lang hehe! What tickles me is the vibration while up there!
Yes, views are great from up this bridge - or any of their bridges for that matter! One nice shot of Trần Thị Lý Bridge that I took, was while walking on this Dragon Bridge.
More visitors stroll on this bridge, mostly at sunset way into the night, for the views. Especially because at 9PM, "the mighty dragon" spews out real fire - even real water!
This area of the bridge, the descending eastern portion, is most crowded at night.
Too bad I had no time to be back here and watch the spectacle from 9PM onwards.
The shows were only on weekends and holidays, yet I heard it now includes Fridays. But today, Tuesday, was Christmas Day. There would have been grand shows. Argh!
But I was delighted enough to see up close, this enormous "head of the dragon"!
Can you see the mouth? That's where fire (and/or water) spews out from! There are big tubes in there (I suppose) where those are pumped-out of this mythical monster!
Here are 2 photos of that bridge breathing fire and water (Pullman Hotel's website):
In both pictures you'll surely notice the number of spectators who go there to watch.
That, makes the Dragon Bridge most famous of all their bridges. But not for me!
Han River Bridge [Cầu Sông Hàn]
#2 on my map, this is a "swing bridge", and for me, the most amazing of all bridges that cross Han River. I have no pics of my own, but found a lot on google, like these:
I just grabbed these "night and day" shots of the bridge from VinWonders' website. 
Ganito kasi yan.., the 3 times I passed on this bridge, I was busy in daldalan with my "ultra quiet" friends hehe! Minsan talaga mas masarap mag-isa akong namamasyal!
But, is there even a "swing bridge" that you know to exist or have existed in our dear Philippines? Wala! Yet Danang proudly has one which isn't even that old (circa 2000)!
I thought 'swing bridges' were a thing of the past, as in old-school bridge technology. But this Han River Bridge was built only in 1998, and started operating in year 2000.
Fairly new, right? What for? Aba malay ko! But if it is/was built only for the "fantasy", I still applaud them with 2 thumbs up! A tourist attraction at 11PM. Kayo ano meron?
What's with the 11PM? Ah, that is the only time (during weekends), that the rotating span of the bridge will do so, to let big ships pass through, and only for a full 1 hour.
At midnight, it then rotates back to being a bridge for land vehicles and pedestrians once again! Those times (11PM and 12MN) were picked solely for tourists' viewing convenience. On weekdays, the bridge 'rotates' at 1AM, and 'turns back' at 3:30AM!
O diba? A 33 meter span of concrete and steel rotating horizontally for 90 degrees?
Malaki yan! Maybe as long as the overpass at Eastwood C5 (near Acropolis). Gawin mong x4 ang lapad, maybe x8 the thickness kasi vehicle bridge yan eh. Then turn it!
Hoah! And that rotation motion only takes 15 minutes! Hanep di ba?
Thuan Phuoc Bridge [Cầu Thuận Phước]
Labeled #1 on my map above, this bridge may look simplest, but it is said to be the most difficult to construct, among all bridges on Danang's Han River (2003 to 2009)!
I didn't pass by this bridge during my entire stay in Danang, but I saw it (from some distance) as I passed-by other bridges, or explored areas along the Han Riverbanks.
I just plucked that photo from Vietgoing Travel website. Hey this bridge has only one name, but it has the most number of descriptions from locals - young and old alike!
The "longest bridge on Han River", fact. The "longest suspension bridge in Vietnam", fact. The "best way from downtown to the Son Tra peninsula", fact. There are more!
How about the "most romantic bridge on the Han River"? Oh I believe that, because, fact too, it has the "most beautiful sunset view" from among all the bridges. Go pa?
It is the most photographed bridge by the younger generation of locals and tourists! It's also called "the bridge of death" that tour guides and the authorities wonder why!
Yes they wonder, why it has become a popular place to jump into death! Suicide ba! They've been notably increasing, a friend tells me. Maybe because it's very popular?
I learned that this same bridge also fares well in poems, songs, dramas, etc. Hmm, maybe that's why? Maybe etong mga nagsisipagpatiwakal e nakiki-drama epek din!
Ah whatever, basta another fact, it is the bridge that is farthest out on the mouth of the river, emptying to Danang Bay. If you jump, you'll be harder to find. So, goodbye!
In Summary...
Oh okay, let's wrap this... all those 5 bridges (among many) are worth a peep if you are visiting Danang. Good on an early morning jog or walk; just fine any other time; best on early evenings. But if you want to see the rotating bridge, around midnight!
Ahh, if you're a fan of bridges - whether it be the historical, technical, social, political or drama-ever-peg aspect, these bridges on Danang's Han River are a 'must see'. Go!
But let's check out the shoreline, as I am a true-blue son-of-a-beach!
That's next. Promise!
To better understand what I'll be talking about, let's start with this google map:
Trần Thị Lý Bridge [Cầu Trần Thị Lý]
Let's start with the 5th one. That is the Trần Thị Lý Bridge that I passed-by last night when I arrived. It's this same bridge I saw earlier, near the APEC Sculpture Park. Eto:
A friend who is both a licensed architect and civil engineer (yes, me ganun) tells me that this bridge is a very challenging structure to make, especially that it is on water.
He told me that for comparison, the Leaning Tower of Pisa was leaning at only 5.5° yet it had to be 'stabilized' to 3.97°, and it's only 56 meters tall. This bridge is lankier!
Wow, di ba?! And on the artistic/cultural side, this Trần Thị Lý Bridge is supposed to 'portray' the sail of a boat (that tower is the mast) facing the East Vietnam Sea. Nice!
As said in my story last night, this bridge is rather new, constructed and inaugurated together, as in AT THE SAME TIME, with Dragon Bridge that is #3 on the map above.
However, unlike Dragon Bridge which was/is new where it is, Trần Thị Lý Bridge was constructed to replace its very old self [the oldest bridge on Han River, circa 1950s], and another 'also old' bridge beside it (Nguyễn Văn Trỗi) that we will talk about next.
Anyway, remnants of the old Trần Thị Lý Bridge is totally gone now.
Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Pedestrian Bridge [Cầu đi bộ Nguyễn Văn Trỗi]
This is #4 on that map above, and I don't have any pictures hehe! But I do know, that this bridge was 2nd on the Han River, and built by the Americans around mid-1960s.
Note that its present name is 'Pedestrian Bridge'. It happened only in 2013 when old bridges #4 and #5 were to be demolished - since the new bridge #5 was already up!
Their story: during an inspection of the new and soon-to-be-demolished structures, a high official asked the transport department if bridge #4 could instead be used as a boardwalk or promenade for locals and tourists alike. Result of their study? Go rah!!
So ganun na nga, bridge #4 on my map above, Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge wasn't at all demolished. It instead became the Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Pedestrian Bridge. Since when? Since the day that the new Trần Thị Lý Bridge (#5) and Dragon Bridge (#3) operated.
Here they are, and this is not my pic (I just grabbed this from VNCarRental's website)!
It's not that simple-tiny-dark as it looks from afar, and beside the newer ones. Old as it is, even for today's standards, Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Pedestrian Bridge is a wonder too!
Ni wala nga tayong ganyan, di ba?!
Oh yes, old, since it was built way back in 1965 by the Americans. But still a beauty!
Historical and historic! That last pic is not mine. I plucked it from youindanang.com!
Dragon Bridge [Cầu Rồng]
This is bridge #3 on my map. It is a 1-syllable name, therefore easiest to remember! Cầu means Bridge, Rồng means Dragon. It sounds like Cow Zong when they speak!
This is the city's most popular bridge, for locals and tourists alike, but I don't exactly know why. Maybe because it spurts real fire at various times in the evening? Maybe.
At nilakad ko yan! Yes, I walked from the "tail end" to the "head end" of that "dragon"!
When you're near the structure, you realize it's an overwhelmingly gigantic dragon!
You also realize.., aside from aesthetics, the 'dragon's body' holds the entire bridge!
Yes, views are great from up this bridge - or any of their bridges for that matter! One nice shot of Trần Thị Lý Bridge that I took, was while walking on this Dragon Bridge.
This area of the bridge, the descending eastern portion, is most crowded at night.
The shows were only on weekends and holidays, yet I heard it now includes Fridays. But today, Tuesday, was Christmas Day. There would have been grand shows. Argh!
But I was delighted enough to see up close, this enormous "head of the dragon"!
Here are 2 photos of that bridge breathing fire and water (Pullman Hotel's website):
That, makes the Dragon Bridge most famous of all their bridges. But not for me!
Han River Bridge [Cầu Sông Hàn]
#2 on my map, this is a "swing bridge", and for me, the most amazing of all bridges that cross Han River. I have no pics of my own, but found a lot on google, like these:
But, is there even a "swing bridge" that you know to exist or have existed in our dear Philippines? Wala! Yet Danang proudly has one which isn't even that old (circa 2000)!
I thought 'swing bridges' were a thing of the past, as in old-school bridge technology. But this Han River Bridge was built only in 1998, and started operating in year 2000.
Fairly new, right? What for? Aba malay ko! But if it is/was built only for the "fantasy", I still applaud them with 2 thumbs up! A tourist attraction at 11PM. Kayo ano meron?
What's with the 11PM? Ah, that is the only time (during weekends), that the rotating span of the bridge will do so, to let big ships pass through, and only for a full 1 hour.
At midnight, it then rotates back to being a bridge for land vehicles and pedestrians once again! Those times (11PM and 12MN) were picked solely for tourists' viewing convenience. On weekdays, the bridge 'rotates' at 1AM, and 'turns back' at 3:30AM!
O diba? A 33 meter span of concrete and steel rotating horizontally for 90 degrees?
Malaki yan! Maybe as long as the overpass at Eastwood C5 (near Acropolis). Gawin mong x4 ang lapad, maybe x8 the thickness kasi vehicle bridge yan eh. Then turn it!
Hoah! And that rotation motion only takes 15 minutes! Hanep di ba?
Thuan Phuoc Bridge [Cầu Thuận Phước]
Labeled #1 on my map above, this bridge may look simplest, but it is said to be the most difficult to construct, among all bridges on Danang's Han River (2003 to 2009)!
I didn't pass by this bridge during my entire stay in Danang, but I saw it (from some distance) as I passed-by other bridges, or explored areas along the Han Riverbanks.
The "longest bridge on Han River", fact. The "longest suspension bridge in Vietnam", fact. The "best way from downtown to the Son Tra peninsula", fact. There are more!
How about the "most romantic bridge on the Han River"? Oh I believe that, because, fact too, it has the "most beautiful sunset view" from among all the bridges. Go pa?
It is the most photographed bridge by the younger generation of locals and tourists! It's also called "the bridge of death" that tour guides and the authorities wonder why!
Yes they wonder, why it has become a popular place to jump into death! Suicide ba! They've been notably increasing, a friend tells me. Maybe because it's very popular?
I learned that this same bridge also fares well in poems, songs, dramas, etc. Hmm, maybe that's why? Maybe etong mga nagsisipagpatiwakal e nakiki-drama epek din!
Ah whatever, basta another fact, it is the bridge that is farthest out on the mouth of the river, emptying to Danang Bay. If you jump, you'll be harder to find. So, goodbye!
In Summary...
Oh okay, let's wrap this... all those 5 bridges (among many) are worth a peep if you are visiting Danang. Good on an early morning jog or walk; just fine any other time; best on early evenings. But if you want to see the rotating bridge, around midnight!
Ahh, if you're a fan of bridges - whether it be the historical, technical, social, political or drama-ever-peg aspect, these bridges on Danang's Han River are a 'must see'. Go!
But let's check out the shoreline, as I am a true-blue son-of-a-beach!
That's next. Promise!
Comments
Post a Comment