The project has a total investment capital of US$342.6 million sourced from Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) and the Vietnamese State budget.

Masayyuki Karasawa, director of the Japan Bank of International Cooperation (JBIC), says Can Tho is comparable to one of the five largest bridges in Japan and one of the 10 longest bridges in the world.

The bridge will help facilitate traffic flow between HCM City and provinces spanning the Hau River, replace the current ferry system and ease traffic congestion on National Highway 1A.

Over the past years, 13 ferries have been used every day to carry 60,000 motorcycles, 8,000 vehicles and 80,000 people between the two banks of the Hau River. When the bridge is open to traffic, it is forecast to cut the travel time by 20 minutes for each means of transport.

Tran Thanh Man, Chairman of the Can Tho Municipal People’s Committee, says he believes that the bridge will open up new opportunities for Can Tho and provinces in the western part of the Hau River to attract more investment and fully tap their development potential for agricultural production, aquaculture and fruit tree growing.

During a recent visit to the construction site of the project, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung confirmed that the bridge will play a crucial role in socio-economic development in the Mekong Delta and the country.