Nhat Tan Bridge - The Biggest Cable-Stayed Bridge in Vietnam

In recent years, Vietnam has seen a rapidly expanding transport infrastructure, especially roads and bridges, the latter ones being large-size structures. This is determined by the geological features of the area with a very high number of large rivers. A significant part of the bridges in this country are cable-stayed. The first large cable-stayed bridge My Thuan was completed in 2000, whereas Can Tho Bridge completed in 2010 is the cable-stayed bridge with the largest span length in Vietnam - 500m. Cable stayed bridges are very effective structures due to their lightweight decks and large lever arms of forces. The most important element of these impressive and elegant structures are closely spaced wire cables, which transmit loads through the pylons to the foundations. Today, in Vietnam there are several structures of this type. In 2015 the largest cable-stayed bridge - Nhat Tan bridge connecting Hanoi to the airport was completed. Noi Bai International Airport and the center of Hanoi are separated by 1 km wide Red River. Thang Long Bridge, built 30 years ago, was the only connection across this river. Nhat Tan Bridge is an alternative and more direct access to the road, shortening the travel time from the airport. The main bridge, 1500 m long cable-stayed structure with many spans, is a very rare type of bridge in the world and it is one of the longest bridges in Southeast Asia. This bridge, the gateway to Hanoi, also serves as a symbol of friendship between Vietnam and Japan. This article presents the design of the bridge, the course of its construction and the technologies that have been applied. At present, several large bridges are also under construction throughout the country. (C) 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.