At the beginning of May this year, Vietnam inaugurated the Bach Long Bridge, the world's longest floating glass bridge, a walkway suspended between two mountains in Son La province, with a length of 632 meters and a height of just over 150 meters.
The name of the bridge, Bach Long Bridge, means White Dragon in its original language. It spans between two mountains and has a glass floor, allowing visitors to look down into the valley below, making it a major new tourist attraction in Vietnam.
The bridge is located in the Moc Chau district of Son La province, about 200 kilometers west of Hanoi. The area is one of Vietnam's most popular tourist destinations and is known for its forests, bat caves, waterfalls, lakes, and tea plantations.
The structure has two sections: one extension that is 290 meters long between two mountains, while the other section of 342 meters runs along the side of a mountain.
The bridge's underside is made of three layers of super-tempered glass panels. Each panel is 40 millimeters thick and transparent, allowing visitors to see the valley floor below.
At 632 meters long, it is now the longest glass bridge in the world, surpassing the one located in Guangdong, China, which is 526 meters long.
This mega architectural work is unique in the world and its catwalk was inaugurated in April of this year; since its opening, hundreds of people have passed through it.
This attraction connects two mountains and at one end leads to the entrance of the Chim Than cave, a site full of stalactites; the setting of the legend of the 'bird' god.
The project, which began construction in 2020, is notable for the 250 French tempered and reinforced glass panels used in its manufacture, which consist of multiple layers of SGP (SentryGuard Plus) vinyl.
The White Dragon
The glass bridge was named Bach Long, which means "White Dragon" in Vietnamese. The structure snakes along the side of a mountain like a walkway, resembling the body of a dragon. It then detaches from the mountainside, hanging suspended in mid-air. Chilling!
In Vietnamese culture, the White Dragon is a mythological being that symbolizes good fortune, power, and nobility. In Vietnam, it was also the symbol of the Ly dynasty, which ruled approximately a thousand years ago.
Furthermore, in the spiritual life of the Vietnamese, "the Dragon was the first of the 4 sacred animals, along with the unicorn, the turtle and the phoenix," according to the Voice of Vietnam website.
Many will wonder what material this imposing bridge suspended over the precipice is made of. The floor is reinforced with three 40-millimeter layers of French-made tempered glass and, according to its builders, can support the weight of up to 450 people on it.
Sources: MDZ/Conocedores.com
