Saigon Bridge

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Saigon Bridge Cầu Sài Gòn
Saigon Bridge and the nearby skyscraper Landmark 81
Coordinates	10°47′56″N 106°43′38″E / 10.79889°N 106.72722°E / 10.79889; 106.72722
Crosses	Saigon River
Locale	Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Characteristics
Material	Concrete
Total length	1,010 metres (3,310 ft)
Width	26 metres (85 ft)
History
Designer	Drake and Piper Johnson
Opened	June 28, 1961
Location

Saigon Bridge, known as Newport Bridge (Cầu Tân Cảng) before 1975, is a bridge crossing the Saigon River, connecting Bình Thạnh District and District 2, Ho Chi Minh City, on the Hanoi Highway. The bridge has four lanes for cars and two lanes for motorcycles and bicycles. It was the only bridge linking District 1 to the new Thu Thiem New Urban Area in District 2 until the Thủ Thiêm Bridge opened in 2008 and the Saigon River Tunnel opened in 2011. The bridge was one of the most vital gateways for vehicles traveling from northern and central Vietnam to the city, and therefore was a key point of contention during the Tet Offensive in 1968 and the Fall of Saigon in 1975. In 2013, a new parallel bridge, Saigon 2 Bridge, was opened to ease congestion on the bridge.^[1]