The pedestrian bridge has a total investment of 1 trillion VND, measures 720 metres in length, and has a deck width varying from six to 11 metres. Its design is inspired by the nipa palm leaf. The project comprises approach bridges on both banks and a main span crossing the river to connect Ben Bach Dang with Thu Thiem.
According to Nutifood, the company financing the project, the joining of the main span involved several stages, beginning in the early hours of the morning and scheduled for completion that afternoon.
The steel arch structure, shaped like a nipa palm leaf and mounted on a barge moored along the Thu Thiem bank, was prepared for installation between the two bridge piers on opposite sides of the river. From 4am to 7am, construction teams released the barge’s moorings and rotated the barge to align it with the installation position.
From 7am to 9am, the construction team carried out positioning, alignment adjustments, and load lowering. This stage directly prepared the structure for the joining operation, ensuring that it was correctly aligned for connection.
From 9am to 1pm, the main-span joining operation took place. This was the project’s most significant construction milestone, connecting the central span to the structural sections already in place and progressively completing the overall form of the pedestrian bridge across the Sai Gon River.
In the final stage, from 1pm to 4pm, the teams continued ballasting the barge, lowering its supporting columns, and moving it to the designated position in accordance with the construction plan.
Earlier, the barge carrying the main steel arch span, designed in the shape of a nipa palm leaf, was towed from Vung Tau to the construction site. The assembled structure weighed approximately 3,400 tonnes, comprising the 187-metre-long main steel arch span, at 1,400 tonnes, and a specialised supporting frame of 2,000 tonnes.
Speaking at the joining ceremony, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of Nutifood Nutrition Food Joint Stock Company Truong Hung said: “After more than a year of construction, involving numerous complex technical stages and considerable challenges, we are truly moved and proud to see the main span now in place over the Sai Gon River, ready to connect the two banks.”
He added that the project also reflected the dedication, professional expertise, and sense of responsibility of the consultants, designers, contractors, engineers, and workers who had collaborated to bring it to fruition. Each organisation had undertaken different tasks, but all had shared the same goal: to build a beautiful, high-quality, and safe bridge that would stand the test of time.
The pedestrian bridge across the Sai Gon River is designed to connect public spaces between the established city centre and the new Thu Thiem urban area, expanding opportunities for residents to gather, relax, and enjoy the riverside scenery.
