Co Chien Bridge ) is a road bridge spanning the

Cổ Chiên River The Cổ Chiên River () is a river of Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, ...

in the

Mekong Delta The Mekong Delta ( or simply ), also known as the Western Region () or South-western region (), is the list of regions of Vietnam, region in southwestern Vietnam where the Mekong, Mekong River River delta, approaches and empties into the sea th ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Description

Co Chien Bridge is a

cantilever bridge A cantilever bridge is a bridge built using structures that project horizontally into space, supported on only one end (called cantilevers). For small footbridges, the cantilevers may be simple beam (structure), beams; however, large cantilever ...

using

prestressed concrete Prestressed concrete is a form of concrete used in construction. It is substantially prestressed (Compression (physics), compressed) during production, in a manner that strengthens it against tensile forces which will exist when in service. Post-t ...

. It is 1,599 meters long and 16 meters wide, with four lanes of traffic with posted speeds of 80 kph. It crosses the Co Chien River connecting the Mo Cay Nam district of Ben Tre province with the Cang Long district of

Tra Vinh Province Tra or TRA may refer to: Biology * TRA (gene), in humans encodes the protein T-cell receptor alpha locus * Tra (gene), in ''Drosophila melanogaster'' encodes the protein female-specific protein transformer * Tra gene, a transfer gene * Triple r ...

along Vietnam's National Highway 60. It 3.6 kilometers downstream from the Co Chien Ferry Terminal that it was designed to supplement. The architecture of the Co Chien Bridge consists prestressed reinforced concrete as well as reinforced concrete, using a balanced cantilever main span structure. The structure consists of 24 simple 40-meter spans using Super T girders.

History

In 2011, Co Chien Bridge was chosen one of the four key projects prioritized as part of a larger effort to develop transportation infrastructure in the Mekong Delta and one of the key bridges of Vietnam's National Highway 60 (alongside the Rach Mieu, Ham Luong, and Dai Ngai bridges). It would be developed under the Build-operate-transfer model with a budget of 3,798 trillion VND. Construction began in 2013. In 2012, the bridge took a major pivot when it was decided to scrap plans for a

cable-stayed bridge A cable-stayed bridge has one or more ''towers'' (or ''pylons''), from which wire rope, cables support the bridge deck. A distinctive feature are the cables or wikt:stay#Etymology 3, stays, which run directly from the tower to the deck, norm ...

and opt for cantilever bridge, making for a major shift in the construction calendar and budget. The cantilever bridge was completed in 2015, after 21 months of construction and 15 months ahead of the schedule (not including work on the cable-stayed design) at a cost of 2.3 trillion VND(US$106.2 million)

Effect

The bridge has decreased the travel distance between

Tra Vinh Tra or TRA may refer to: Biology * TRA (gene), in humans encodes the protein T-cell receptor alpha locus * Tra (gene), in ''Drosophila melanogaster'' encodes the protein female-specific protein transformer * Tra gene, a transfer gene * Triple rel ...

and

Ho Chi Minh City Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) ('','' TP.HCM; ), commonly known as Saigon (; ), is the most populous city in Vietnam with a population of around 14 million in 2025. The city's geography is defined by rivers and canals, of which the largest is Saigo ...

by 60 kilometers, compared to the route through Co Chien Ferry Terminal. Its opening has increased traffic to

, boosting tourism and land development. Additional roads have been planned to feed into the bridge, which have stalled due to a dearth of sand for construction in the region. By 2017, the increase in traffic has also seen an increase of potholes in the roads leading to the bridge.

References

{{reflist Bridges completed in 2015 Bridges in Vietnam