Ha Long Proposes $996mn Dual-Level Sea Bridge with Air Taxi Pad

Ha Long, the Vietnamese port city on UNESCO-listed Ha Long Bay, is weighing a 996 million US dollar sea bridge whose lower deck would double as a tourism complex — complete with a takeoff and landing pad for air taxis. City chairman Bui Van Khang received the preliminary design at a meeting on Wednesday and ordered consultants to refine it before higher-level review.

That figure is roughly equivalent to one-fifth of Quang Ninh province's annual gross regional product, and the proposal treats the crossing less as road infrastructure than as a mixed-use development floating on Cua Luc Bay.

What would the Cua Luc bridge actually carry?

Under the preliminary design, the structure would have two levels serving entirely different functions.

• The upper deck: 10 traffic lanes, aimed at improving connectivity and supporting urban expansion around Cua Luc Bay.
• The lower level: an ecological park, pedestrian walkways, bicycle lanes, routes for electric tourist vehicles, observation decks and a marina.
• Commercial add-ons: retail areas, cafés, cultural exhibition spaces and entertainment facilities.

The most ambitious element sits on top. A three-story convention center would rise from the bridge's arch structure, integrated with a takeoff and landing area for air taxis — an early nod to urban air mobility in a city of roughly 300,000 residents better known for cruise calls than aerial commuting.

How does the design connect to Vietnamese heritage?

The architecture draws on a concept titled 'Dragon Watching the Moon.' Five continuous steel arch spans model dragon imagery from Vietnam's Tran Dynasty, which ruled from the 13th to the 15th century. A 360-degree observation platform would overlook both Cua Luc Bay and Ha Long Bay, whose 1,600-plus limestone islands earned UNESCO World Heritage status in 1994.

Plans also call for 3D hologram light shows along the structure, extending its use into evening tourism hours.

What happens next for the project?

Approval is far from certain at this stage. Concluding Wednesday's meeting, Khang instructed consultants to further refine the design and assess its feasibility, investment efficiency and long-term economic benefits before submission for higher-level review.

City officials frame the bridge as more than a transportation project. If approved, they say, it would function as a major cultural, tourism and entertainment complex while unlocking development opportunities across northern Quang Ninh — a province that has invested heavily in recent years in highways, a cruise port and Van Don International Airport to convert its natural-heritage coastline into a diversified tourism economy.

Why does a tourism megaproject matter for freight watchers?

The Cua Luc crossing sits at the mouth of a bay that already handles dense tourist-boat traffic and services Ha Long's port operations. A 10-lane link would materially raise road capacity around the bay, a constraint that currently shapes how goods and passengers move between Ha Long's urban core and the industrial and logistics zones spreading north through Quang Ninh toward the Chinese border.

For contractors and suppliers of steel — the design's five continuous arch spans imply a substantial tonnage requirement — the project represents a significant potential award in a market where public infrastructure spending continues to run at historic highs.

For now, the 996 million dollar figure remains a preliminary estimate, with no timeline disclosed for a final investment decision. The next concrete signal will be the consultants' refined feasibility assessment, which city leadership has directed must prove both investment efficiency and long-term economic benefit before the dragon-inspired crossing moves one step closer to construction.