Hàn River Bridge
{{Short description|Bridge in Da Nang, Vietnam}}
{{For|bridges crossing the Han River in Seoul, South Korea|Hangang Bridge}}
{{Infobox bridge
|bridge_name = Han River Bridge (Song Han Bridge)
|native_name = Cầu Sông Hàn
|native_name_lang = vi
|image = Da Nang Bridge.JPG
|image_size = 250px
|alt =
|caption = Han River Bridge
|official_name = Cầu Sông Hàn
|other_name =
|carries = Two lanes for motor vehicles, two side lanes for pedestrians and cyclists
|crosses = Han River
|maint =
|id =
|designer =
|design = Cable-stayed bridge, Swing bridge
|material = Concrete, steel
|spans = 12
|pierswater = 1 circular central pier for swing span, plus 11 piers for the 11 fixed side spans
|mainspan = {{convert|122.7|m|ft|sp=us}} swing span
|length = {{convert|487.7|m|ft|sp=us}}
|width = {{convert|12.9|m|ft|sp=us}}
|height =
|load =
|clearance =
|below = {{convert|25|m|ft|sp=us}} with swing span closed
|traffic =
|builder =
|begin = 1998
|complete =
|open = 2000
|life =
|preceded =
|followed =
|heritage =
|collapsed =
|closed =
|toll =
|map_cue =
|map_image =
|map_alt =
|map_text =
|map_width =
|coordinates = {{coord|16|4|20.2|N|108|13|36.2|E|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
|lat =
|long =
|extra =
}}
Hàn River bridge (Song Han Bridge, {{langx|vi|Cầu Sông Hàn}}; occasionally known as Da Nang Opening Bridge) is a cable-stayed swing bridge in downtown Da Nang, Vietnam. Prior to the construction of the bridge, Da Nang was developed mainly on the west side (left bank) of the Hàn River, and traditional fishing villages and beaches were to the east.Trần Mạnh Thường, Nguyễn Minh Tiến hiệu đính Việt Nam - AVăn hóa và du lịch - Page 411es "Cầu sông Hàn, cây cầu văng dây sừng sững là thế, mà về đêm trở nên mềm mại làm sao. Với dãy đèn cao áp lung linh ánh nước càng làm cho cầu Asông Hàn trở nên duyên dáng, diệu kỳ. Decades after the opening of the bridge, Danang city has developed on both sides of the Han River. The bridge is the first Vietnamese-engineered and Vietnamese-built bridge in the city, the only swing bridge operating in Vietnam, and the first of several 21st-century bridges crossing Danang's Han River and facilitating economic development on both banks.{{cite web |title=Han River Bridge: Discover an iconic symbol of Da Nang City |url=https://vinwonders.com/en/wonderpedia/news/han-river-bridge-da-nang/ |website=vinwonders |access-date=11 April 2025 |date=7 December 2024}}
File:Han River Bridge, 20241207, geöffnet.jpeg
The bridge is lit up brightly at night. After midnight, traffic is stopped from crossing the Song Han Bridge as it swings on its axis to allow shipping traffic to pass along the river. On weekends, the bridge swings open at 11 pm; traffic is stopped at 10:45pm; the rotation process takes about 15 minutes to swing the bridge open.
History
File:Han River Bridge, Da Nang, 20241209, Tafel der Spender.jpeg
In 1997, when the greater Da Nang city was separated from Quang Nam province and became a centrally controlled municipality, there was only one bridge that crossed the Han River connecting the urban west side with the villages and beaches on the east side. The decision was made to construct a new bridge linking the downtown thoroughfare Le Duan Street with Pham Van Dong Street on the eastern portion. The Song Han Bridge was designed by Vietnamese engineers and financed in part by Vietnamese companies and donors from Da Nang, with a total of 27,409,353,544 VND donated, according to a plaque on the western ramp. The bridge was opened with a grand ceremony on 29 March 2000, to the delight of the people of Da Nang. It marked the beginning of economic development on both banks of the Han River.{{cite web |title=A Han River Bridge History – About Han River Bridge Da Nang |url=https://danangleisure.com/a-han-river-bridge-history-about-han-river-bridge-da-nang |website=danangleisure.com |access-date=April 19, 2025 |date=April 19, 2022}} It symoblizes the city's rise and appears prominently on the city's logo.
File:Emblem of Danang City.svg
File:Han River Bridge, Da Nang, 20241209, Übergang.jpeg
File:Han River Bridge, Da Nang, 20241209, Drehteller.jpeg
The Han River Bridge is the only swing bridge operating in Vietnam. Its symmetrical cable-stayed swing span has a total length of {{convert|122.7|m|ft|sp=us}} and rotates on the rim-bearing circular turntable central pier. The swing span girder and tower structure is made of steel, the 11 fixed side spans are prestressed reinforced concrete, and the bridge deck is reinforced concrete. The bridge remains an important part of Danang's cityscape and economic development.
Bribery and Corruption case
Shortly after the bridge was completed, the contractor, Phạm Minh Thông, was arrested. He was charged and jailed for stealing money from the project and for bribery, but the men who took the bribes were never revealed.Thanh Hải. Công trình xây dựng cầu sông Hàn đã bị rút ruột như thế nào?. VietNamNet. 2017-04-28. URL:http://vietnamnet.vn/xahoi/phapluat/2003/5/12981/. Accessed: 2017-04-28. (Archived by WebCite® at){{cite web|url=http://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/in_depth/Two-men-of-the-same-name-and-stories-about-anti-corruption-part2-12142009132117.html|title=Two men of the same name and stories about anti-corruption - Part II|accessdate=16 February 2015|publisher=Radio Free Asia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625134247/http://www.rfa.org/vietnamese/in_depth/Two-men-of-the-same-name-and-stories-about-anti-corruption-part2-12142009132117.html|archive-date=25 June 2017|url-status=live}}(Archived by WebCite® at )
According to Radio Free Asia, the People's Procuracy of Da Nang City concluded in the Document No. 73/KSDT-KT (October, 2000) and Document No. 77/KSDT/KT (November 2000) sent to the Supreme People's Procuracy of Vietnam and Phan Diễn (then-Secretary of Communist Party Committee of Danang) that Nguyễn Bá Thanh received bribes from Phạm Minh Thông (4.4 billion VND in total) in the construction projects of Hàn River Bridge and North-South Street in Danang. However, the case was eventually dropped. Vietnamese mass media (which, according to Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders, are all strictly controlled by the government{{cite web|url=https://www.hrw.org/en/world-report/2009/vietnam|title=Vietnam: Events of 2008|accessdate=16 February 2015|publisher=Human Rights Watch}}[https://rsf.org/en/ranking 2017 WORLD PRESS FREEDOM INDEX: Vietnam was ranked 175/180]) were censored and even praised Thanh for his "many contributions" in the development of Da Nang City.
See also
- Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge (1965)
- Thuận Phước Bridge (2010)
- Dragon River Bridge (2013)
- Tran Thi Ly Bridge (2013)
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons}}
{{Cable-stayed bridges in Southeast Asia}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Han River Bridge}}
Category:Road bridges in Vietnam