The long-standing dream of Cu Lao Dung people

Unable to hide his joy, Mr. Do Hoang Thoai, residing in Cho Hamlet, Cu Lao Dung Town, Cu Lao Dung District, expressed: “On this occasion of April 30, we, the people of Cu Lao Dung, receive three great joys: the opening of Dai Ngai 2 Bridge; people are consulted on the merger of the province, becoming citizens of Can Tho City (a city directly under the Central Government) and celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and the reunification of the country . As for the event of Dai Ngai 2 Bridge across Cu Lao Dung, we, the people, are as happy as if we had won the jackpot! Because there are so many benefits that we, the people, will enjoy.”

As a long-time resident of the area, in his old age, Mr. Thoai has witnessed many hardships and shortages of the people, and the most difficult thing is the inconvenience in traffic. “People spend a lot of time waiting for ferries, encountering serious illnesses that are very dangerous to their lives. The cost of ferry fees, the difficulty in transporting goods often leads to the price of agricultural products being forced down... But with the Dai Ngai bridge, that will no longer be the case. Currently, Cu Lao Dung is developing very well and will develop even more thanks to this Dai Ngai bridge. I am so excited, looking forward to the day the bridge is opened! As long as the car can pass, I will definitely go straight to see it, I heard that this bridge is very large and beautiful”, Mr. Thoai decided.

Dai Ngai 2 Bridge is about to open to traffic, which has been a long-standing dream of the people of Cu Lao Dung (Soc Trang).

Dai Ngai 2 Bridge is part of the Dai Ngai Bridge Construction Investment Project on National Highway 60 in Soc Trang and Tra Vinh provinces, with a total investment of nearly VND 8,000 billion. This project includes 2 construction packages, of which package No. 11-XL (construction of Dai Ngai 2 Bridge and the route) started construction in October 2023 and package No. 15-XL (Dai Ngai 1 Bridge) has been deployed since December 2024. Dai Ngai 2 Bridge and the 5km approach road on the Soc Trang bank, connecting Cu Lao Dung district with Long Phu district ; the bridge is more than 862m long, 17.5m wide, with 13 spans (main span is 330m long).

The bridge across the river, connecting the two banks of the Hau River, is the joy and excitement that many people are looking forward to. Mr. Doan Van Tam, residing in An Phu A hamlet, An Thanh Tay commune, Cu Lao Dung district, shared: “My house is nearby, I keep running out to see how far the Dai Ngai 2 bridge has been built. Our people are very excited, having a bridge will ease part of the burden of ferry costs, and income will increase. After the country's reunification in 1950, Cu Lao Dung's homeland developed remarkably in terms of economy, and living standards improved. The Dai Ngai bridge will be a breakthrough for Cu Lao Dung in its future economic development.” Looking at the bridge about to open to traffic and thinking about his ^10,000m2 garden, Mr. Tam was secretly happy about a prosperous and happy life in the future.

The Dai Ngai Bridge project, when completed and connected to the entire National Highway 60, will improve the transportation capacity of the Mekong Delta . Because it will create convenient traffic connections between the southern coastal provinces and Ho Chi Minh City . Specifically, it will shorten travel time, reduce freight transport costs, expand trade and eliminate the monopoly of National Highway 1A, shortening about 80km compared to National Highway 1A when traveling from Ca Mau, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu to Ho Chi Minh City.

Cu Lao Dung "takes off" in the future

Dai Ngai Bridge has had a significant impact on the strategic orientation of the development planning of Cu Lao Dung district to 2040, with a vision to 2050. Comrade Tran Van Nguyen - Chairman of Cu Lao Dung District People's Committee said that according to the plan, the district will be built to become a livable place, with a unique image that attracts tourists and investors associated with the "green brand - ecology - preserving the landscape and environment, promoting cultural identity, ensuring national defense - security and adapting to climate change". Taking Cu Lao Dung town as the core urban area, expanding the urban area to neighboring communes, as a foundation to accelerate the urbanization progress and development in the future. Building and developing smart urban areas, rural residential areas combined with river landscapes, friendly with the natural environment throughout the district; improving the quality of life of residents, preserving local identity.

Regarding the orientation of regional space development, the whole district is divided into 3 sub-regions: Sub-region 1 develops urban - commercial services; Sub-region 2 develops agriculture combined with garden eco-tourism and Sub-region 3 develops marine ecological trade services. The district will focus on calling for investment in a number of large tourism development projects, such as: Coastal resort areas adjacent to mangrove forests with a scale of 1,800 hectares; projects to exploit mangrove eco-tourism with a scale of 1,700 hectares and alluvial areas of about 16,000 hectares; "Window of the Mekong Delta" tourist area with a scale of 200 - 250 hectares; Vam Ho oasis tourist area with a scale of 250 - 300 hectares; Monkey Island tourist area with a scale of 19 - 25 hectares; Long An village tourist area with a scale of 150 - 200 hectares; San Tien tourist area with scale of 10 - 15ha...

With great potential and advantages, Cu Lao Dung has great potential for eco-tourism development. When the Dai Ngai bridge project is completed, Cu Lao Dung district will have all the conditions to rise up, accelerate, and make a breakthrough in socio-economic development, especially tourism development, and become a livable place for people and tourists inside and outside the province with favorable traffic conditions. In particular, with the policy of merging to streamline the apparatus, improve the effectiveness and efficiency of state management, Cu Lao Dung is expected to have 2 communes under Can Tho city (a city directly under the Central Government) which will promise many opportunities for development and breakthroughs. According to the authorities, due to the actual situation, the traffic opening (technical opening) is expected to take place in June 2025.

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