Construction of a suspension bridge linking Van Chan and Mu Cang Chai districts of the northern mountainous province of Yen Bai, one of the poorest areas nationwide, commenced on July 10.

The Ban Com bridge, which is 50m long and 2m wide, is being built at a total cost of nearly 2.6 billion VND (123,800 USD). It is expected to have a 25-year lifetime.

Once operational after one month of construction, the bridge will facilitate ethnic minority students’ travel to school, especially during the flood season.

The work is part of a 931 billion VND (44 million USD) project building 186 suspension bridges in 28 cities and provinces in the northern, central and Central Highland regions.

Proposed by the Vietnam Road Administration, the plan aims to deal with the fact that 40 percent of over 1,940 suspension bridges across the country are in need of urgent repairs or reconstruction.-VNA