At least it's not another cable car?
A 60-meter-long, five-meter-wide glass bridge stretching 600 meters above the ground has opened at the top of the O Quy Ho mountain pass17 kilometers away from Sapa in Lai Chau Province. Visitors will now be able to bypass a four-hour-long trek through the forest to reach the mountain peak and instead travel via the bridge and a 300-meter tall glass elevator.
The bridge rests at the center of a large tourism site, Rong May, erected by Sungate Group that includes a hotel, bungalows, swimming pool and entertainment complex. The price tag for the complex, which will operate for 50 years, reached VND1 trillion (US$43.4 million). Adults must pay VND400,000 (US$17.3) and children VND200,000 (US$8.6) to access the bridge.
The Hoang Lien Son mountain range, of which fabled Fansipan is the highest peak, is amongst Vietnam's most majestic natural splendors. In recent years the area that was once a remote oasis of solitude has attracted significant tourist attention, even becoming part of National Geographic's list of top places to visit in 2019. The increased visibility has resulted in a building boom, involving everything from a massive cable car to a discussed airport, and has caused concerns of over-development.
The Rong May bridge is Vietnam's second glass bridge, following one that opened in Moc Chau in Son La Province this past April. The 100-meter-long, two-meter-wide bridge can accommodate up to 70 visitors at a time, compared to 3,000 people at the new bridge.
[Images via Bao Moi]
