The Co Chien bridge, one of the four key bridges along National Road No. 60, linking the two Mekong Delta provinces of Ben Tre and Tra Vinh, opened to traffic on May 16.

Addressing the event, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung praised the Ministry of Transport, local authorities, the project management board, and contractors for finishing the bridge 15 months ahead of schedule.

Together with other transport facilities, the bridge will help spur socio-economic development and improve living conditions for locals in the Mekong Delta, the PM stressed.
He urged regional localities to define specific development goals and map out appropriates measures to fully tap their potential and strengths.

The Party and State always give special attention to infrastructure development, he stated, asking the Ministry of Transport to work closely with localities to accelerate the implementation of transport projects, especially key ones, in the time ahead.

The four-lane bridge is 1.6km long and 16m wide, built at a cost of more than 2.3 trillion VND (103 billion USD).

It helps shorten the route between Ho Chi Minh City and Tra Vinh by 60km, meeting increasing travel demand within the region and boosting regional socio-economic development and tourism.-VNA