Suspension bridges in Vietnam hold potential danger The Chu Va 6 suspension bridge in Lai Chau collapsed for being overloaded on February 24, killing 8 and injuring 38 others. Tuoi Tre Concerns over the safety of bridges in rural provinces have been raised after a suspension bridge in the northern province of Lai Chau collapsed last week, killing eight and injuring 38 others. The victims were participating in a funeral procession. Too many people were crossing at once, causing an abutment to break and the bridge to collapse, throwing the coffin and many people in the procession down to the rocky bottom of a nearly dry river. People in mountainous regions, especially in the northwest and central highlands of Vietnam, have to cross bridges like this every day to go from their villages to nearby markets and farms. Many of these operational bridges are described as ‘waiting to collapse’. These types of bridges are built with the weight of the deck supported by vertical cables suspended from further cables that run between towers, anchored in abutments at each end. Therefore, stepping on the bridge makes it swing back and forth. It is even more dangerous for pedestrians if the surface of the bridge is marred with large holes. Each bridge is constructed with horizontal wooden planks, usually about two meters wide and at least ten meters high above the water below. Scared to cross bridges After the deadly collapse of the Chu Va 6 suspension bridge in Son Binh Commune of Tam Duong District on February 24, more and more locals have begun to walk across streams rather than cross rickety bridges, fearing their collapse. The Chu Va 6, with a length of 54m and a loading capacity of 1.5 tonnes, began operation in late 2012. Many bridges are built with materials contributed by locals. They are thereby not standardized and are often damaged during flood season because of their poor quality.  “Last year, we (the locals) contributed the materials to build two abutments in the two banks to install cables, but they were swept away during a flashflood at night,” said Mr. Do Van Da, head of the Sa Nga Village in Lai Chau. “We are isolated during flood season because our suspension bridge is damaged every year,” said Ms. Tra Thi Nang, 57, of Phuc Than Commune in Tan Uyen District, Lai Chau. Ms. Va Thi Mo, 46, a local of Lai Chau, added that “We don’t even dare to look down to the water below while crossing the bridge.” Tan Uyen District alone has 15 suspension bridges, according to Mr. Nguyen Cong Bien, chairman of the People’s Committee of the district. Vague quality standards Following the collapse of the Chu Va 6 bridge, local authorties have urged relevant agencies to check the safety and quality standards of all suspension bridges across Vietnam. There is no control over the construction of suspension bridges throughout various localities since no common quality standards have been passed by authorities. The northern province of Thai Nguyen has over 40 suspension bridges, managed by district-level authorities. But many of them have become rusty and have no board of specifications detailing weight capacity, height, and length. Nong Van Hai, director of the transport department of the northern province of Cao Bang, said his locality has more than 200 suspension bridges but “currently we don’t know how many of them are degraded and need repair. “We need several days to survey the total number of suspension bridges and several months to access the quality,” said Hai. The Central Highlands province of Dak Lak has 600 suspension bridges, 318 of which are unsafe to use, said To Quang Dinh, deputy director of the provincial transport department. “We need VND560 billion (US$27 million) to repair them but we have no money now,” he complained. Without the accident in Lai Chau, those damaged bridges may keep on carrying people until they fall down before being checked. Tuoi Tre