The Saigon River pedestrian bridge in Ho Chi Minh City is scheduled to have its main arch joined on October 21 after successful factory load tests. Its arch structure and supporting frame have a combined weight of 3,400 tonnes and passed inspections before transport to the installation site.
Nutifood Nutrition Food JSC, the project sponsor, is preparing to tow the structure from Vung Tau to the city centre.
The assembly includes a main bridge structure weighing about 1,400 tonnes and a specialised steel supporting frame weighing around 2,000 tonnes. During testing, about 30 self-propelled modular transporters lifted the assembly 40 centimetres off the ground for technical inspections. Sensors and monitoring equipment recorded the main parameters.
After 24 hours of load testing and displacement monitoring, the structure remained stable and met technical requirements. Nutifood said measurements of deflection and stiffness matched the project calculations.
Transport from Dong Xuyen Port in the former Ba Ria-Vung Tau area to the installation site is expected to take about two days. The joining schedule remains subject to calculations based on hydrological conditions and the water level of the Saigon River.
The project is about 90% complete. Work at both ends of the approach bridge has finished, while major components, including the bridge structure, staircases, elevators and pumping station, are largely ready.
After the main arch is joined, work will continue on the bridge deck, railings, landscaping and related facilities.
Construction began in late March 2025. The bridge will be about 720 metres long, with total investment approaching 1 trillion VND, or about 38.5 million USD.
Its 187-metre main span is a cable-stayed arch structure, while the steel girder deck is 6 to 11 metres wide. The bridge will provide navigational clearance of 80 metres in width and 10 metres in height for waterway traffic on the Saigon River.
VNA
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
