On the morning of 16/10, residents and students of Phong Hoa commune, Dong Thap province, attended the inauguration ceremony for Hope Bridge 457 (Ngon Nuoc Trong Bridge). This reinforced concrete structure, 24 m long and 3,5 m wide, replaces a dilapidated old bridge that had been in use for over 20 years.

Nguyen Bi Ne, a resident of Phong Hoa commune, stated that the old bridge was narrow with damaged railings, hindering travel and material transport. Previously, during harvest season, farmers needing trucks for agricultural products had to take a detour of nearly 2 km. "With the new bridge, residents can conveniently transport mangoes or building materials, and children's daily commutes to school are safer," Ne said.

"'>

Hope Bridge 457 inaugurated and before reconstruction. *Thanh Nguyen*.

On the same day in Dong Thap province, the Hope Foundation also opened Hope Bridge 462 (Bo Buom Bridge) in Tan Nhuan Dong commune, measuring 18 m long and 3,5 m wide.

The total construction cost for the two bridges in Dong Thap exceeded 800 million VND (with Bridge 462 costing 505 million VND and Bridge 457 over 300 million VND). The Hope Foundation, along with Roche Vietnam Co., Ltd., and the FPT People for Community Fund, contributed 190 million VND, with the remaining funds provided by the local budget and community contributions.

According to Huynh Minh Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Dong Thap Provincial People's Committee, the new bridges connect rural roads, facilitating trade for residents and school commutes for students. They also contribute to communes meeting transportation criteria for new rural development.

"The locality acknowledges the partnership of the Hope Foundation and sponsoring units in constructing these projects that bring long-term benefits to the community," Tuan said.

Hope Bridge 445 in Thanh Quoi commune, Can Tho City. *FRT*.

In Can Tho City, Hope Bridges 445 and 446 in Thanh Quoi commune were also completed on 16/10. Each bridge is 35 m long and 4,5 m wide, with a construction cost of 780 million VND (totaling 1,56 billion VND). FPT Digital Retail Joint Stock Company (FPT Retail) and Hoang Trung Kien's family contributed 200 million VND through the Hope Foundation, with the remaining funds and labor provided by the local government and residents.

Representatives of the sponsoring units stated that replacing dilapidated wooden and iron bridges with sturdy concrete ones aims to alleviate traffic bottlenecks in the intricate canal network of the Mekong Delta, especially during agricultural harvest season.

Building community bridges is part of the "Helping Children to School" program, launched by the Hope Foundation in 2018. To date, over 470 Hope Bridges have been constructed in Dong Thap, Can Tho, An Giang, Tay Ninh, Vinh Long, and other provinces, improving rural infrastructure and promoting local livelihoods.

Ngoc Tai - Thanh Nguyen