Impressions for facelift changes

Upon its inauguration on January 10, 2022 , the Da Nang APEC Sculpture Park, an extension of the 2017-built namesake garden on the western bank of the iconic Han River, has quickly emerged as an attractive new architecture check-in and relaxation spot for both local dwellers and tourists.

The highlight of the expanded project is the kite-shaped arch entitled ‘High Flying Kite’, which was made of nearly 200 tonnes of raw steel and installed by the Da Nang-based Ha Giang- Phuoc Tuong Mechanical JSC.

In addition, there are a public park, lawns, walkways, a stroll gardens and other auxiliary facilities. Coming to the expanded APEC Sculpture Garden, visitors can immerse themselves into relaxing moments of strolling along the western bank of the iconic Han River.

The APEC Sculpture Garden is one of the city's impressive highlights. Photo: Xuan Son

Located in a prime location, when night falls, under the colourful lights, the whole Sculpture Garden becomes brilliant and a prominent center in the city center.

In addition to expressing the spirit of international integration, the idea of ‘High Flying Kite’ reflects the changing face of Da Nang and affirms its role as dynamic city in Central Viet Nam as well as its key role in driving the growth of the region.

Also located in the central area of Hai Chau District, on the most beautiful street of the city - Nguyen Van Linh Street, another work contributing to the brand of the city’s urban appearance is the Rong (Dragon) Bridge.

Officially opened to traffic on on March 29, 2013, it is the 7th bridge spanning the iconic Han River. The VND1,500 billion bridge is 666m long, 37.5m wide and has six lanes for traffic.

Designed by the Louis Berger Group in the USA, this unique architectural bridge forms the shortest path connecting Da Nang International Airport with high-class coastal resorts, thereby playing an important role in the city’s transport infrastructure development strategy.

With a modern and impressive design, the bridge quickly becomes a new symbol of the city. It was once likened to a new prosperity symbol of Asia or the biggest "steel dragon" at that time by many architecture magazines worldwide.

Located in the middle of two famous Han River and Dragon bridges, there is a rather special bridge called 'the Bridge of Love' when it does not span the river.

The bridge has become an ideal venue for couples in love. The 68m-long and 6m-wide features the arc shape, and its construction is inspired from famous padlock bridges worldwide such as Pond des Arts in France, Hohenzollern in Germany, Tretriakovsky in Russia, and Milvio in Italy.

Couples have been decorating the bridge with locks for several years. They are meant to symbolise the locking of hearts, inspired by a story described in a novel.

The design style of the bridge becomes extremely unique when mixing the classic oriental features with the liberal beauty of Western culture.

In addition to the aforementioned works, over the past decade, the city's urban appearance has been constantly renewed with many unique architectural works built from local budget or private investment, contributing to promoting the image of the city far beyond. Included are the ‘Cau Vang’ (Golden Bridge) in the Ba Na Hills Tourist Area, the Linh Ung Pagoda on Son Tra Peninsula, the Thuan Phuoc Bridge, and Asia Park.

In particular, the Linh Ung Pagoda on the Son Tra Peninsula is the most famous and largest of its kind in the city in terms of both scale and artistic architecture.

Built in 2004 and officially inaugurated in 2010, the pagoda features beautiful scenery harmoniously combining majestic nature with elegant beauty of the land of Buddhism.

The most highlight of the pagoda is the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue. The 67m-high statue standing on a 35m-high lotus-shaped pedestal is the tallest of its kind in Viet Nam.

The statue overlooks the sea, and behind it lies an immense primitive forest which is home to many kinds of plants and animals. The gentle eyes of the Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva look down. Inside the statue there are 17 floors, each housing 21 tiny Buddha statues of differing shapes.

Since its inauguration, the pagoda has increasingly become one of the most famous spiritual and tourist destinations in the city.

Harmonious combination of arts, tourism and people's daily life

After a period of construction and being put into use, the above-mentioned architectural works have risen to fame as welcoming a large number of domestic and foreign visitors, thereby contributing to promoting the city's development and improving locals’ living standards.

Mr. Ha Duc Hung, Director of the Ha Giang - Phuoc Tuong Mechanical JSC which manufactures and installs the ‘high-flying kite’ dome made of nearly 200 tonnes of raw steel, said that it was honour for his mechanical unit to participate in the construction of the expanded APEC Sculpture Garden.

He added 100% of the company's human resources with experience in manufacturing and installing steel structures, especially those with complex shapes and high aesthetic requirements, have devoted all their efforts to complete the work on schedule, meeting the requirements of the investor.

Meanwhile, since the inauguration of the 'Carp Turns into a Dragon' statue and the Bridge of Love, the Tran Hung Dao Street has become busier with groups of locals and tourists going for a stroll to enjoy the beauty of Han Rivers and bridges at night.

Mr. Cao Tri Dung, Chairman of the municipal Tourism Association, acknowledged that Da Nang is one of the rare localities in the country that possesses many advantages for tourism development.

“On the basis of these advantages, our business community identifies key groups of tourism products, in which, modern and iconic architectural works make an important contribution to the city’s socio-economic development in general, tourism, and the local tourism and service industries in particular.

Reporting by Khanh Hoa - Translating by M.Dung