World’s longest glass-bottom bridge opens in Vietnam

New bridge beats China’s 526m-long structure in the Huangchuan Three Gorges area of Guangdong, which opened in September 2020

The world’s longest glass-bottom bridge has opened in Vietnam’s northwest Son La province, according to the resort that built it.

The 632m Bach Long Bridge stretches between forested hills at the Moc Chau Island resort, a few hours’ drive west of the city of Hanoi, and opened to tourists on 29 April.

Its name translates to “white dragon” - an allusion to the bright-white metalwork that holds up the transparent glass platform, 150m above the ground.

It’s made of specially tempered French Saint-Gobain glass, with views of the surrounding mountains and valleys.

Officials from Guinness World Records are due to visit the bridge in the coming weeks in order to verify its record-breaking status.

If it’s verified as the world’s longest, it’ll beat China’s 526m-long glass bridge in the Huangchuan Three Gorges area of Guangdong, which opened in September 2020 - exceeding it by more than 100m.

Glossy French glass stretches along the 632m bridge (Moc Chau Island Resort)

“Standing on the bridge, tourists can see the magnificence of the northwest mountain forest, feel the sunny nature and the wind hovering in the magical air,” says a statement on Moc Chau’s Facebook page.

The province of Son La in which the resort is set has tea plantations to explore, as well as waterfalls, pine forests and tiny rural villages.

The structure is strong enough to support 450 people at a time, say sources at Moc Chau Island, who recently tested the strength of the bridge by driving a 4x4 along it.

If you happen to find yourself in the area, it’ll cost you 650,000 VND (£22.50) for an adult ticket and 450,000 VND (£15.60) for a child’s ticket to cross it, with a discount of £3.50 on weekday tickets. Children shorter than 1m in height can cross for free.

This month, the world’s longest suspension footbridge is set to open in the Czech Republic.

Set in the Dolni Morava ski resort, in the northeast of the country, Sky Bridge 721 is named after its length in metres (which converts to 2,365 feet).

Just 1.2 metres wide and dangling 95 metres above the ground, it will offer a knee-trembling walk above the country’s Bohemia region.