My Thuan – Vietnam's first cable-stayed bridge

My Thuan Bridge was built over the Mekong River in southern Vietnam and has made a major contribution to the economic development of the Mekong delta. It was the first cable-stayed bridge to be built in Vietnam and has a navigation span of 350 m and a total length of 1536 m. The bridge was jointly funded by Australia and Vietnam; a joint steering committee was formed to manage the project, ensuring close cooperation at all levels of work. An extensive feasibility study investigated the difficult engineering problems associated with the site and evaluated the social and environmental impacts of the project. Alternative bridge designs were prepared and costed before deciding on the final design of the bridge. A major Vietnamese training programme was integrated into the project to transfer the new technology to Vietnam and the bridge was constructed in 33 months at a cost of A$83 million (1A$ = €0.785, 2012).