In 2012, Quang Ninh Province approved a new draft by the Japanese group SE that proposed a steel cable-stayed design rather than original prestressed concrete bridge design that was being considered.[6] On January 15, 2015, the groundbreaking ceremony took place for what was a then-estimated VND 7.6 trillion (more than US$357.2 million).[7] As the creators of the initial design, the Japanese group SE would also oversee the bridge's construction under a build-operate-transfer model with the aim of four lanes of traffic[7] By April 2018, the final beam was installed into the bridge, making it the first cable-stay bridge made by Vietnam[8] and earning it the nickname "Made in Vietnam bridge".[9] The bridge's three H-shaped towers are said to symbolize the three cities of Hanoi, Ha Long and Hai Phong, which it helps connect.[8]
Operation
With its opening, it is calculated to reduce the driving distance between Quang Ninh and Hanoi from 175 km to 125 km [10] By November 2018, concerns grew over the unevenness of the road's surface, but authorities deemed it safe for motorists.[11] After one year of traffic, Quang Ninh estimated that the bridge was averaging 11,000 vehicles a day.[12] In 2020, a study was conducted on wind-induced vibrations on the cables of the bridge.[13]
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