Dragon Bridge Da Nang

The Dragon Bridge (Cầu Rồng) in the central Vietnamese city of Da Nang (Đà Nẵng) is now a landmark of the entire country that is not missing from any travel guide. With a length of 666 meters, the Da Nang Dragon Bridge spans the Han River and is an important traffic artery in the city structure: it is located on the shortest route from the city’s international airport to the city center. Its design is extraordinary: the Da Nang Dragon Bridge looks like a monster and can even breathe fire.

In terms of color, the long dragon, which meanders across more than the width of the river, is like a chameleon: yellow during the day, it takes on other colors at night due to its lighting: Blue and green. When crowds gather in front of the Da Nang Dragon Bridge or on the bridges opposite, the time has usually come: the dragon head of the bridge immediately spits fire and then it also spits a lot of water. Awe and caution are advised, as spectators can actually get wet.

The city of Da Nang, with around one million inhabitants, is the fifth largest city in Vietnam. Once one of the most important trading points on the Pacific Ocean, Da Nang still has a natural harbor today. Water also characterizes the cityscape in other ways, such as the Han River, which rises in the province of Quảng Nam and flows into Da Nang Bay near Da Nang. The Han River runs through the center of Da Nang and is spanned by six bridges. The Da Nang Dragon Bridge is the newest of them. Leading directly to Da Nang International Airport, it also provides access to the hotels on My Khe Beach. Three, actually four, of the bridges in Da Nang are now world-famous and are often a reason for a detour during a trip to Vietnam. The bridge highlights include the Han River Bridge, which opened in 1997, the Thuan Phuoc Bridge, which was completed in 2008, and the Da Nang Dragon Bridge, which was officially opened in 2013. Near Da Nang in the mountains, there is also another sight in bridge format: the Golden Bridge, a pedestrian bridge on which passers-by are literally carried on their hands. It is almost as famous as the Da Nang Dragon Bridge. None of the bridges achieved world fame due to their length – it was always their design that was decisive for their attractiveness.

The Da Nang Dragon Bridge is 666.57 meters long and over 37 meters wide. It has a total of six lanes, three in each direction, which are lined on both sides by 2.5 meter wide walkways. Its silhouette was designed to resemble a flying kite. The design and planning of the structure are the result of a competition won by the consortium of US architecture and engineering firms and bridge experts Louis Berger Group and Ammann & Whitney.

They created the bridge design in coordination with the Da Nang Municipal Engineering and Public Transportation Project Management Unit. The architects found inspiration in dragon depictions from Vietnam’s Ly Dynasty. Their design was approved in 2008 and the ground-breaking ceremony took place on July 19. After around 5 years of construction, the Da Nang Dragon Bridge was officially opened to traffic on March 29, 2013, the 38th anniversary of the conquest of the city by North Vietnamese troops during the Vietnam War. While the moving dragon dominates the impression, the construction recedes visually into the background.

The yellow arches from which the roadway girder is suspended or supported are arranged on the six-metre-wide central reservation. The arches consist of five tubes held together by large braces. From a distance, the pointed metal sheets at the top look like the scales of a dragon. The dragon’s head rises 72 meters above the roadway towards the city, the dragon’s tail 64 meters – the Da Nang Dragon Bridge thus reaches into the urban space on both sides. At night, it is illuminated by 2500 LED lamps in different colors.

The exciting thing about the Da Nang Dragon Bridge is its liveliness and the fun it brings to people of all ages and backgrounds. At night, it appears as a colorful, iridescent chameleon and is a truly impressive Insta-motif. The performances of the “dragon” with fire and water are often the highlight of a trip to Da Nang. They always take place on Saturday and Sunday evenings at 9 pm. During this time, the Da Nang Dragon Bridge is closed to all cars and thousands of people, including many families, gather on the banks of the Han River in the subtropical warm nights. Fire sprays from the dragon’s head, followed by fountains of water from the head of the mythical creature, which has a special significance in Vietnam’s cultural history.

Legend has it that the Vietnamese originated from the union of a dragon and a fairy. Around a thousand years ago, the dragon then became the godfather of the capital’s name. At that time, during the Ly dynasty, the Vietnamese capital was located just outside today’s Hanoi, in Hoa Lu. Legend has it that King Ly Thai To saw a dragon flying over a certain place in a dream. He then founded a new capital at this location and named it Thang Long, which means “rising dragon”. This place then became Hanoi. The dragon was once a symbol of status and dignity for kings, but today it is firmly anchored in the everyday life of the Vietnamese. For example, there is the dragon dance, the dragon boat race, dragon fruit, many handicraft decorations and the famous Da Nang Dragon Bridge. The mythical creature is also one of the annual signs of the zodiac and 2024 is the Year of the Dragon.