Most cities build a bridge and then, years later, notice it has become a symbol. Da Nang built a symbol and made it carry six lanes of traffic.

The Dragon Bridge (Cầu Rồng) crosses the Han River from the Le Dinh Duong and Bach Dang roundabout on the west bank toward the beaches on the east. It's 666 meters long and 37.5 meters wide, with six lanes, built in steel as a combined arch and beam structure shaped like a rising dragon, according to Wikipedia's entry on the bridge, which cites a 2016 engineering paper describing it as the world's largest dragon-shaped steel bridge.

Built on a symbolic date

Construction began on July 19, 2009, the same day the nearby Thuan Phuoc suspension bridge opened. The main span was completed in October 2012, and the bridge opened to traffic on March 29, 2013, the 38th anniversary of March 29, 1975, which the city marks as its Liberation Day. The cost was nearly 1.5 trillion dong, roughly $88 million at the time, according to figures cited by Wikipedia from Viet Nam News.

The design is credited to Ammann & Whitney with the Louis Berger Group. Construction was carried out by Vietnamese contractors, though Wikipedia doesn't cite a source for those details.

The practical purpose was plain. The bridge gave a direct link from the city center across the Han River toward the eastern districts and the beaches. It's now one of five bridge corridors carrying east-west traffic through the center, which is why it comes up in every debate about Da Nang's congestion.

The show

What made the bridge famous, though, is the head. On scheduled nights, the dragon breathes fire and then water.

According to Tuoi Tre News, the regular show runs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights, starting at 9 p.m. and lasting about 15 minutes. It opens with two rounds of fire, nine bursts each, followed by three rounds of water. The bridge is run by Da Nang Bridge and Road JSC, whose director, Vo Thanh Duoc, told the paper it "is not a new activity, but recently it has attracted large numbers of international tourists." Around big holidays the city adds nights. For National Day 2026 it ran six straight shows, from August 28 to September 2.

Note that some older guides and Wikipedia still list weekends only. The Friday show is newer, so check the current schedule before you plan around it.

How to watch without regret

  • Stand near the dragon's head if you want the best view of the fire. Stand close enough and you'll get the water too, and many people do, on purpose or not.
  • Get there early. Crowds build well before 9 p.m. on weekends.
  • Expect crowds and traffic controls. For the extra holiday shows, the operator said it worked with authorities on public order and traffic safety plans.

The mascot problem

The Dragon Bridge sits alongside the Golden Bridge at Ba Na Hills as one of the two images Da Nang sells to the world. Lonely Planet used the Golden Bridge for its 2027 pick, according to VietnamPlus. The Dragon Bridge has one advantage: it's free, it's downtown, and locals actually use it to get to work.

Sources

This story was compiled by the Da Nang Voice news desk from the published sources listed above. Facts, figures and quotes are attributed to those sources; Da Nang Voice did not conduct interviews for it unless the text says so. Corrections are dated and noted at the top of the story. Read our corrections policy. Spotted an error? Tell us.