The new Nhat Tan Bridge over the Red River is the first multi-span cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam. The bridge design of a six-span cable-stayed bridge with five pylons and stay cables in a fan-arrangement was chosen in order to ensure navigation on the Red River at any time since the river bed is subject to strong erosion and scouring. The longitudinal stiffening system consists of the five rigid concrete pylons, supporting the steel-composite superstructure via elastomeric bearings as well as the parallel wire stay cables. The bridge deck provides three standard lanes, one mixed lane and one sidewalk for each direction. The new bridge is expected to shorten travel time from the city centre to Noi Bai International Airport as well as to other urban areas. Beside its unique architectural form, the crossing was supposed to have additional meaning as a symbol for the 1000th anniversary of the city of Hanoi in 2010.
