The Ministry of Construction recently assigned the Vietnam Railway Authority to lead and coordinate with the Vietnam Railways Corporation in monitoring, compiling inspection results, and proposing solutions for matters beyond their authority.

The Vietnam Railways Corporation is required to review all inspection results for Long Bien Bridge from 2023. Additionally, it must organize a comprehensive assessment of the structure's current architectural state, structural integrity, and load-bearing safety. Based on this, the corporation must proactively implement measures to address damage and degradation that compromise operational safety. For urgent repairs, the corporation should report to the Vietnam Railway Authority for compilation and submission to the Ministry of Construction for consideration and decision.

Long Bien Bridge during repairs in 1/2026. *Pham Chieu*

Long Bien Bridge, spanning the Red River and part of the Hanoi - Dong Dang railway line, is 120 years old. Despite numerous reinforcements and repairs over various periods, the bridge's structure, particularly its steel system, remains damaged along its entire length, including both steel truss spans and temporary military girder spans.

On the afternoon of 2/2, Ha Hai Railway Joint Stock Company discovered serious damage at the upper chord steel truss joint, located between cells 10 and 11 of span 18. The contact steel plate was completely fractured, and the upper chord members separated at both upstream and downstream truss joints, posing a threat to the structure's safety. The bridge was subsequently closed; passenger trains on the Hanoi - Hai Phong route were rerouted to pick up and drop off passengers at Gia Lam Station instead of Hanoi Station.

The Vietnam Railways Corporation repaired the damage and reopened the bridge on the afternoon of 9/2.

Doan Loan