A resort in Vietnam claims to have snatched the crown from the world’s longest glass-bottomed bridge.
The Moc Chau Island Mountain Park Hotel says the recently opened 632-meter bridge in the northwest province of Son La beats the current record held in China by more than 100 meters.
Called Bach Long, which translates to “white dragon”, the bridge spans two peaks and is suspended 150m above the jungle.
The bridge floor is made of French-made tempered glass and the structure can accommodate 450 people at a time.
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A promo shot for the bridge, which hopes to be certified by Guinness World Records.
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The bridge spans two peaks in Vietnam.
To prove its solidity, a 4×4 recently crossed it
The bridge has yet to be certified by Guinness World Records, but officials are due to visit in the coming weeks.
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A few confident children on deck.
It is the third glass-bottomed bridge in the country and it is hoped that the attraction will entice more people to visit it.
Tourism is a vital economic driver in Vietnam and has been heavily affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. In March, the country ended quarantine for international visitors.
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A visitor clinging to the side of the bridge.
Bach Long is not the only amazing bridge structure in Vietnam.
In 2018, the Cầu Vàng footbridge (aka the “Golden Bridge”), in Ba Na Hills, central Vietnam, was opened.
Extending from a cliff above to the tree-covered valley below, the curved walkway is supported by giant stone hands that represent the “hands of the gods pulling a band of gold out of the earth”.
Trung Le/wikimedia commons
Cau Vang (aka the “Golden Bridge”), in Ba Na Hills, central Vietnam.
Bach Long joins a list of other stomach-turning structures for acrophobics.
This month, a ski resort in the Czech village of Dolní Morava will launch the world’s longest suspended footbridge. The record-breaking Sky Bridge 721 spans 721m and hangs 95m above the Mlýnické Valley at its highest point.
China remains the king of glass-bottom bridges with more than 2,000 scattered across the country.
Not everything goes as planned. In 2021, a tourist was left clinging to the side of a glass-bottomed bridge in the hill station of Piyan near the city of Longjing after high winds blew the panels, while the structure above the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon, which at its inception was the longest and tallest glass-bottomed bridge in the world, was overwhelmed by visitors and had to close shortly after opening. It reopened a few days later.
