In het noordwesten van Vietnam is eind april de langste glazen brug ter wereld geopend. De ‘Bach Long’, zoals de brug heet, is 632 meter lang en hangt 150 meter boven een groene rotsachtige vallei.

De brug bestaat uit drie lagen gehard glas van 40 millimeter en is uitvoerig getest door er zware auto’s en trucks overheen te laten rijden. Er kunnen tot zeker 500 mensen tegelijkertijd over de brug lopen.

De lokale autoriteiten hopen met de opening van de brug na twee lange coronajaren weer meer toeristen naar Vietnam te kunnen trekken.

Zet voet op de langste glazen brug ter wereld

Zet voet op de langste glazen brug ter wereld

  • people walk across the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    If you're afraid of heights, the Bach Long bridge probably won't be your thing.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people take pictures on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    But for thrill seekers, the destination is a welcome addition to a bucket list.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people stand on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    The glass-bottom bridge measures 632 meters, or about 2,073 feet, in length, and the company behind it says it's the longest glass-bottomed bridge in the world.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    The bridge stands 150 meters, or about 492 feet, above a lush valley between two mountains.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    It's located in the Moc Chau district of Vietnam's northwestern Son La province.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people walk on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    Bach Long translates to "white dragon."

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    Officials from the Guinness World Records visited the bridge in late May and confirmed that it's the longest of its kind in the world.

    Source: Talk Vietnam

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people walk across the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    Bach Long consists of three layers of 40 mm, or about 1.5 inches, of tempered glass. It can support about 500 people at a time, said Hoang Manh Duy, a representative of Moc Chau.

    Source: Vietnam National Administration of Tourism, South China Morning Post

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people walk on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    The company behind Bach Long said it put the bridge to the test by having heavy cars and trucks drive over it. As an additional safety measure, traffic on the bridge flows in only one direction.

    Source: South China Morning Post, Vietnam National Administration of Tourism

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people stand on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    The glass pedestrian bridge opened at the end of April.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • Workers clean the Bach Long glass bridge ahead of the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022. Picture taken May 28, 2022.

    To clean the bridge before the opening ceremony, working crews used their bare feet and rags to wipe the glass.

    Athit Perawongmetha/REUTERS

  • People walk on the Bach Long glass bridge during the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022

    Visitors were made to cover their shoes with fabric when they walked across the glass bridge.

    Athit Perawongmetha/REUTERS

  • people stand on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    When the bridge opened, its first visitors had mixed reactions.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • a child clings to the railing on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    Some were thrilled, while one young visitor clung to the railings and avoided stepping on the glass.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people take pictures on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    Many posed for photos to capture the surreal experience.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • Workers clean the Bach Long glass bridge ahead of the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022.

    "I think it's all great," one visitor told Al Jazeera. "Stepping on the bridge and looking down was scary at first, but if we continued confidently, it was very amazing."

    Source: Al Jazeera

    Athit Perawongmetha/REUTERS

  • a woman takes a selfie on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    A ticket to walk on the bridge costs $27.65 for adults on weekends and $19 for children. Weekday prices are lowered to $23.40 for adults and $15 for children. Entry is free for kids under 1 meter, or 3.2 feet.

    Source: Moc Chau Tourism National Tourism Management Board

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • A man rides his motorbike under the Bach Long glass bridge in Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province on April 29, 2022

    Unveiling the bridge is one way Vietnam is trying to bring back tourism after the industry came to a standstill for much of the past two years because of COVID-19.

    NHAC NGUYEN/AFP via Getty Images

  • the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    The country closed its borders to travelers in March 2020 and stopped issuances of tourist visas.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people stand on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    Around the start of the pandemic, Vietnam's tourism department estimated that COVID-19 could cost the country $4 billion in lost tourism in just three months.

    Source: Insider

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • a person walks on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    The country reopened its borders to international tourists in March, dropping its COVID-19 restrictions for foreign visitors.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • people walk on the Bach Long glass bridge in the Moc Chau district in Vietnam's Son La province

    That means adventure seekers from around the world can now behold the beauty — or terror — that is the Bach Long bridge.

    Nhac Nguyen/AFP via Getty Images

  • People walk on the Bach Long glass bridge during the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022.

    Vietnam has made $16.5 billion from tourism this year, a senior official said in November, per local newspaper VnExpress. The country made $32 billion from tourism in 2019, per its tourism annual report.

    Source: VnExpress International and Vietnam National Administration of Tourism

    Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters

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