Building a bridge to improve living conditions - My Thuan, Vietnam
Case Study
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| Teacher's Notes | Student Activities |
| Introduction |
The My Thuan Bridge, located in the Mekong Delta region of southern Vietnam, was completed in May 2000. Built with Australian assistance, the My Thuan Bridge represents an architectural expression of the friendship and co-operation between the peoples and governments of Vietnam and Australia. Studies indicate that the bridge will be a major catalyst for an improvement in living conditions for Vietnamese people living in the delta region and also throughout the country.
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| Figure 1: Pedestrian traffic on the My Thuan Bridge on its opening day (viewed from the north bank) |
| The Mekong Delta Region in Vietnam |
The 4,500 kilometre long Mekong River is the tenth longest river in the world, flowing through China, Burma, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia from its source region in Tibet to its mouth in Vietnam where it flows into the South China Sea (see figure 2). There are main two branches of the Mekong River in Vietnam, the Tien Giang and the Hau Giang.
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| Figure 2: Map of South-East Asia showing political divisions and the Mekong River |
The Tien Giang is the main branch of the Mekong River as it flows through Vietnam and it is an international shipping channel used by vessels moving to and from Cambodia. The Hau Giang, which is 50 kilometres south of the Tien Giang, is the second major branch of the Mekong River in Vietnam (see figure 3). The two rivers are generally between 0.5-1 kilometres wide.
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| Figure 3: Map of the Mekong Delta showing the Tien Giang and Hau Giang branches and the location of the My Thuan Bridge |
The Mekong River is the lifeblood of southern Vietnam. It has created and sustained the fertile Mekong Delta region that covers an area of 39,550 square kilometres, equal to 12 percent of the total land surface area of Vietnam. The relief of the Mekong Delta is flat and low-lying, typically being less than one metre above sea level with a widespread network of distributaries and canals that covers much of the area.
However, the Mekong River is also a barrier to the social and economic development of the 16 million people who currently live in the delta region. In the case of National Highway 1, which runs along the length of Vietnam, bridges have been built over small waterways in the Mekong Delta, but ferries and boats have been the only means of crossing the Tien Giang (at My Thuan) and the Hau Giang (at Can Tho). Those crossings have increased the cost and inconvenience of movement between the Delta Region and other parts of Vietnam, and have contributed to the lower level of economic and industrial activity that occurs in the area.
Over three million people in the Mekong Delta live below the poverty line. With lower than average income in general, the need for economic and social development in the region is evident. Providing permanent bridges over the lower reaches of the Mekong River will enable the resources of the Mekong Delta to be better used to support sustainable development for the people who live in the region and for the country as a whole.
| The construction of the My Thuan Bridge |
Australian companies, with support from Vietnamese enterprises, prepared the feasibility study for the project, undertook detailed engineering design for the bridge, acted as lead contractors for construction, and supervised construction performance. Vietnamese companies undertook 45 percent of the construction of the bridge through subcontracts.
The strong relationship between, and the hard work of, the 300 Australians and the 1,500 Vietnamese employed on the bridge's planning and construction has left an enviable record. In addition to being on budget, construction of the project was completed in 33 months, three months ahead of schedule. The safety record was exemplary, with no deaths or serious injuries, and days lost due to lesser injuries considerably less than international experience on similar projects.
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| Figure 4: An aerial shot of the My Thuan Bridge with the south bank of the Tien Giang in the foreground. This photograph was taken in April 2000 when the bridge was completed and formally handed over to the Government of Vietnam ready to be opened in May. |
Training was instrumental in achieving this record. Both formal teaching programs and on-the-job training were conducted. Over 500 construction workers and 60 engineers participated in formal training in bridge design and planning, management and supervision of the construction of the bridge.
| Transport impact of the bridge |
Water transport plays an important role in the Mekong Delta, particularly for the movement of bulky, low value freight such as rice and construction materials. Road transport is generally more suitable for the movement of higher value goods and for passenger travel because it is faster and more efficient. The potential for increased production of higher value agricultural products and processing of agricultural products in the Mekong Delta depends on improved road transport to markets for its products, especially to Ho Chi Minh City, which is 125 kilometres north-east of the bridge.
National Highway 1, south of Ho Chi Minh City, is the principal road link to the Mekong Delta, with roads diverging to the south, southeast and west of the Mekong Delta from the southern banks of the Tien Giang. The My Thuan Bridge is thus a critical link in the road network in southern Vietnam.
Previously road vehicles crossed the Tian Giang by ferry, adding to the time, cost and inconvenience of road trips. Benefits to road transport that have resulted from the bridge include:
- an average saving in travel time of over 30 minutes compared with travel by the ferry where heavy traffic and disruptions often resulted in delays of several hours;
- a reduced traveling distance of nearly one kilometre;
- reduced vehicle operating costs due to shorter and better travel conditions; and
- reduced damage to freight that occurs during delays and boarding and alighting from the ferry, particularly important for the movement of fruit and vegetables.
It is forecast that about 2,400 trucks, 4,100 cars, vans and buses, and 4,400 motorcycles will use the My Thuan Bridge during the first full year of operation. About 12,000 tonnes of freight and 50,000 people will cross the bridge each day on these 10,900 vehicles. About 19,000 vehicles are expected to use the bridge in 2010.
| Economic impact of the bridge |
The economy of the Mekong Delta is markedly different to the remainder of Vietnam - see Table 1 below. It has a heavy dependence on agriculture and industry is less developed. There is considerable opportunity to increase the standard of living in the region with the production of higher value agricultural items through horticulture, aquaculture and animal husbandry. Improved incomes for those people living in the region could also be achieved with further industrial development related to agriculture and food processing and the development of tourism.
Table 1: Comparison between the Mekong Delta and Vietnam as a whole (population, GDP, agriculture and transport)
| Vietnam | Ho Chi Minh City | Mekong Delta Total (as a % of Vietnam) | Me-kong Delta Total | |
| 1. Population | ||||
| 1999 (million persons) | 76.3 | 5.0 | 21% | 16.1 |
| Forecast Growth (to 2015, % pa) | n/a | 1.4% | n/a | 1.7% |
| 2. Gross Domestic Product (est. 1999) ¹ | ||||
| Total (trillion Dong) | 379 | 66.7 | 18% | 67.5 |
| GDP/capita ('000 Dong) | 4,960 | 13,240 | 84% | 4,190 |
| GDP/capita (A$) ² | 590 | 1,580 | 85% | 500 |
| Composition: | ||||
| Agriculture | 25% | 2% | 193% | 49% |
| Industry | 34% | 42% | 40% | 14% |
| Services | 40% | 56% | 92% | 37% |
| Total | 99% | 100% | 100% | |
| 3. Agriculture (1998) | ||||
| Area Sown ('000 ha) ³ | ||||
| Paddy | 7,362 | 74 | 51% | 3,744 |
| Fruit, Vegetables, Beans | 1,616 | 17 | 18% | 288 |
| Other | 2,727 | 16 | 14% | 383 |
| Total | 11,705 | 107 | 38% | 4,415 |
| Rice | ||||
| Production ('000 tonnes) | 29,142 | 226 | 53% | 15,338 |
| Production (kg/capita) | 380 | 250% | 950 | |
| Paddy Yield (tonnes/ha) | 4.0 | 31 | 105% | 4.14 |
| 4.Transport (1997) | ||||
| Volume | ||||
| Freight ('000 tonnes) | 112,317 | 15,441 | 15% | 16,299 |
| Passengers (million) | 686 | 217 | 35% | 243 |
| Task | ||||
| Freight (million tonne-km) | 34,396 | 551 | 5% | 1,797 |
| Passenger (million pass-km) | 23,202 | 2,140 | 25% | 5,789 |
1 Based on GDP in 1998, increased by the average increase in GDP of 4.8 percent.
2 Based on an exchange rate of A$1 = 8,400 Dong.
3 NEDECO (1993:27) reports the Mekong Delta to have 1,787,000 ha used for growing rice. It appears that the information reported is the area of rice planted each year, with double and triple cropping raising the effective use of the land used for rice growing.
Source: My Thuan Bridge Draft Benefits Study (unpublished), AusAID, March 2000
The bridge at My Thuan will facilitate development of these sectors of the economy by providing increased spatial interaction through improved road access within the delta region and to markets in Ho Chi Minh City and beyond. Complementary investments in other public infrastructure and community services will support balanced and sustainable development and extend the benefits of the bridge to the community at large.
A number of industrial zones have been established by the national and provincial governments in the Mekong Delta, including three within 15 kilometres of the My Thuan Bridge. Agreements have been signed with domestic and foreign companies for the development of more than 70 hectares in these zones including food processing, handicrafts, pottery and building material manufacturing enterprises. Provincial governments in the region of the My Thuan Bridge are committed to taking advantage of the better accessibility offered by the bridge to improve the economic and social life of their communities.
Prior to the bridge opening, it was expected that freight worth about $A10 million would be carried it each day during the first full year of operation, and that it would save people more than nine million hours of travel time per year. In addition, the economy in the vicinity of the My Thuan Bridge and in Ho Chi Minh City was boosted during the construction of the bridge. This resulted from both the expenditure of workers involved in building the bridge as well as the purchase of materials, and the economic multiplier effect of this expenditure.
| Social and environmental impacts of the bridge |
National Highway 1 serves a regional transport role and is also used for considerable local travel. It was anticipated that some 50,000 people would use the bridge each day in its first year of operation, for the following reasons:
- there is a population of some 16 million people in the region with an average population density in the Mekong Delta of 410 people per square kilometre (twice the national average) and even higher in the vicinity of the My Thuan Bridge.
- the settlement pattern in the Delta includes ribbon development along highways; larger towns located at the intersection of highways and canals or distributaries, and smaller towns at less important transport junctions. This results in substantial local travel, especially along major roads.
- there is considerable travel to major towns such as Ho Chi Minh City, Can Tho and Vinh Long for medical, educational, government and other services.
- a large number of Ho Chi Minh's population have family links with the Mekong Delta, resulting in considerable travel between the city and the Delta for social and cultural reasons.
The improved reliability and reduced time and cost of travel across the Tien Giang at My Thuan made possible by the bridge will allow people to undertake their basic travel needs with greater ease. It will allow some people discouraged by poor travel conditions associated with the ferry service to undertake trips. In addition, the bridge will facilitate continuing economic growth and improved material conditions for the community.
The new bridge will also help address serious environmental problems associated with the previous ferry service. The ferry terminals on the banks of the Tien Giang had negative environmental impacts such as the erosion of the riverbanks and the generation of human and material waste that polluted the river's waters. The ferry service caused motor vehicles to queue, increasing the leakage of lubricants near the river and exacerbating air pollution. Accidents occurred during loading and unloading. The ferries themselves consumed 1.2 million litres of fuel and 48,000 litres of lubricants per annum, with inevitable leakage into the Mekong River.
The My Thuan Bridge will eliminate most of this environmental degradation. While reducing the fuel used by ferries, the higher average speed of road vehicles and shorter travel distance will result in lower emissions of greenhouse gases and other pollutants. The project has incorporated means to protect the banks of the Tien Giang in the vicinity of the bridge from erosion.
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