Vietnam's giant steel dragon bridge breathes fire

DA NANG: Vietnam has unveiled a new steel bridge shaped like a dragon that literally shoots fire from its mouth.

The 1,864-foot long bridge is designed with steel arches that serve as the body of the dragon, which is modeled after one from the Ly Dynasty.

At night, the Dragon Bridge is illuminated by more than 2,500 LED lights and can launch giant plumes of fire and jets of water.

The Dragon Bridge was unveiled on the 38th anniversary of the North Vietnamese forces capturing the city during the final days of the war. During the war, it was home to a significant air base used by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces.

The six-lane bridge resides in the Vietnamese city of Da Nang, cost about $85 million to construct and was build by the Louis Berger Group, a New Jersey based construction and architecture firm.

"This achievement is the result of the determination of Da Nang’s leaders and the consensus of the local people,” Vietnamese Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said at an unveiling ceremony in March. “The Government always supports Da Nang to become the center of economic, cultural, and economic development in the central and Central Highlands region as well as the country."

Da Nang is one of Vietnam’s biggest port cities and has become a central hub of economic and cultural activity in the country and a tourism destination site.