A 2,000-foot glass-bottomed bridge said to be the longest in the world just opened in Vietnam — take a look at the pedestrian walkway, suspended high above a valley
May 1, 2022, 1:39 PM
If you're afraid of heights, the Bach Long bridge probably won't be your thing.
But for thrill seekers, the destination is a welcome addition to a bucket list.
The glass pedestrian bridge opened at the end of April.
It's located in the Moc Chau district of Vietnam's northwestern Son La province.
Bach Long translates to "white dragon."
The bridge measures 632 meters, or about 2,073 feet, in length.
The company behind it says it's the longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world.
Guinness World Records officials plan to visit the bridge this month to determine if that's true.
The bridge stands 150 meters, or about 492 feet, above a lush valley between two mountains.
The daredevils who cross the bridge do so on three layers of 40 mm, or about 1.5 inches, of tempered glass.
Despite the thin nature of the glass, Bach Long can support about 500 people at a time, said Hoang Manh Duy, a representative of Moc Chau.
The company behind Bach Long said it put the bridge to the test by having heavy cars and trucks drive over it.
As an additional safety measure, traffic on the bridge flows in only one direction.
When the bridge opened on Friday, its first visitors had mixed reactions.
Some were thrilled
Many posed for photos to capture the surreal experience.
"I think it's all great," one visitor told Al Jazeera. "Stepping on the bridge and looking down was scary at first, but if we continued confidently, it was very amazing."
Others felt differently about the bridge.
This child had perhaps the most relatable reaction.
Unveiling the bridge is one way Vietnam is trying to bring back tourism after the industry came to a standstill for much of the past two years because of COVID-19.
The country closed its borders to travelers in March 2020 and stopped issuances of tourist visas.
Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images
Around the start of the pandemic, Vietnam's tourism department estimated that COVID-19 could cost the country $4 billion in lost tourism in three months.
The country reopened its borders to international tourists this March, dropping its COVID-19 restrictions for foreign visitors.
That means adventure seekers from around the world can now behold the beauty — or terror — that is the Bach Long bridge.
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