Hanoi’s Vinh Tuy bridge 2 opened to traffic

The second phase of Vinh Tuy bridge spanning the Red River has been inaugurated, allowing traffic to flow in one direction from Hai Ba Trung district in downtown Hanoi to Long Bien district in the city's northeast.

Built at a total cost of VND2.5 trillion ($103.51 million), the second phase, called Vinh Tuy 2, is 3.5 kilometers long and 19.25 meters wide with four lanes. Its construction was completed after two and a half years, four months ahead of schedule.

The bridge runs parallel with the four-lane Vinh Tuy 1 bridge, which will now host traffic in the opposite direction, from Long Bien to Hai Ba Trung.

Together the Vinh Tuy 1 and 2 bridges are expected to help ease traffic congestion significantly and meet rising transport demand between the capital's downtown area and its northern and northeastern regions.

The Vinh Tuy duo form the widest cross-river bridge system in Hanoi with a total of eight lanes. Hanoi now has nine bridges spanning the Red River: Thang Long, Chuong Duong, Vinh Tuy 1, Vinh Tuy 2, Thanh Tri, Nhat Tan, Vinh Thinh, Long Bien and Van Lang.

Under the city’s transport development plan until 2030 with vision extended to 2050, an additional nine bridges will be built over the Red River: Me So, Hong Ha, New Thang Long, Tu Lien, Thuong Cat, Ngoc Hoi, Tran Hung Dao, Phu Xuyen, and Van Phuc.