During the April 30 - May 1 holiday, while many projects are temporarily suspended, the construction site of the border bridge across the Red River (Lao Cai) is still bustling with engine sounds. Contractors work overtime, stick to the schedule, determined not to let the trillion-VND project slow down.
Recorded by reporters on April 30th in the Ban Vuoc border gate area, the construction atmosphere was urgent.
On the construction site of the border bridge across the Red River, groups of workers are still diligently working in the early summer sun. The sound of drills, cranes, and steel collisions echoes, showing that the construction span is not at all "holiday".
Representatives of the contractor said that, taking advantage of favorable weather, the unit arranged construction throughout the holiday, reasonable shift sharing to ensure the progress of key items, especially the main span structure.
The border bridge across the Red River was started by Vietnam and China on March 31, 2025, and is expected to be completed on December 31, 2026. Package No. 32 is constructed by a consortium of Trung Chinh Construction and Trading Co., Ltd. and Inland Waterway Management and Maintenance JSC, with a contract value of more than 280 billion VND.
To date, the contractor has completed the items of M2 abutment, T9 pillar, T8 pillar. The K0 part of the main span and the 40m long scaffolding casting span are being installed with steel reinforcement, expected to be completed with concrete pouring in April 2026. The realized value is about 105/280 billion VND.
Meanwhile, the access road to the bridge has not yet been deployed due to site clearance problems, and construction is expected to start in May 2026.
According to the plan, the project will close the main span by the end of September 2026 and be fully completed and put into use by the end of 2026.
However, the construction process also encountered many obstacles. Notably, the bored pile item at pier T8 encountered complex geology.
The pier location is completely under the Red River, often affected by rain and floods. In November 2025 alone, the river water rose 3 times, flooding the entire pier area, forcing the construction unit to temporarily stop to ensure safety.
In addition, because this is a cooperation project between the two countries, the main materials must be synchronously agreed upon by both parties before being put into use, making the technical process even more rigorous.
The border bridge project across the Red River in Ban Vuoc commune is part of the overall connecting infrastructure project for the period 2021-2025 with a total capital of nearly 1,500 billion VND.
In addition to the bridge item, the project also includes upgrading Provincial Road 156, renovating the Noi Bai - Lao Cai expressway intersections and completing inter-regional connectivity infrastructure.
The bridge is designed in the form of a low-tower cable-stayed bridge (Extradosed), the bridge deck is 35.3m wide.
When completed, the project will create an important connecting route between the old Bat Xat district (Vietnam) and the Ba Sai area (China), contributing to promoting trade and reducing the load on existing border gates.
Mr. Pham Minh Hai - Deputy Director of the Lao Cai Provincial Traffic Construction Investment Project Management Board - said that although the prices of raw materials and fuel have increased sharply, the investor and contractor still proactively adjusted the construction plan, controlled costs, and ensured general progress.
During the holidays, construction teams still maintain operations. The goal is to stick to the plan and bring the project to completion on schedule," Mr. Hai said.
