Vietnamese bridge is a giant fire-breathing dragon
The Vietnamese city of Da Nang has celebrated the 38th anniversary of its liberation during the Vietnam War by opening a new bridge in the shape of a giant dragon that breathes huge balls of fire. Da Nang is Vietnam's fourth-largest city, an important port and now also home to the country's largest steel-span arch (166 metres) and also a dragon head. Because why not?
The Dragon Bridge is modelled on the dragon of the Lý Dynasty according to VietnamNet, a creature known in Vietnamese folklore for flying to the sea and bringing good luck. The bridge was designed by American firm Louis Berger Group, costing more than 1.7 trillion Vietnamese dong (£53m) since it began construction in April 2009. The main span of the 37.5m-wide bridge is bookended by two 128m side sections, with a head and tail on each end of those.
The whole construction weighs 8,164-tonnes and extends to 666m in length. It was meant to open in late 2012 but was construction came in slightly overdue. It was opened by Vietnam's deputy prime minister Nguyễn Xuân Phúc. The dragon head can shoot out both fire and water and at night it's lit up by 2,500 LED bulbs, so you really won't be able to miss it. Dragon Bridge connects Da Nang International Airport with the city's most popular beaches and the downtown area, so it does have a practical purpose. It also can't hurt tourism to be able to boast of having the world's largest dragon-shaped bridge to make the drive from the airport to the hotel more interesting.
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