Cracked panel on Vietnam's highest glass bridge replaced after video goes viral

By Lan Huong   February 24, 2022 | 08:57 pm PT
Cracked panel on Vietnam's highest glass bridge replaced after video goes viral
A cracked glass panel on the glass bridge of the Rong May Glass Bridge tourism site in Lai Chau is replaced, February 23, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Khac Kien
A tourism site in the northern province of Lai Chau has replaced a cracked panel on its glass bridge following video footage from a tourist that went viral earlier this month.

The main investor of the Rong May Glass Bridge said Wednesday that the replaced glass panel was a square meter wide.

Tran Quang Khang, deputy director of the Lai Chau Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said Thursday the department would perform regular checks on the site to ensure safety and quality of service.

Nguyen Van Huan, director of the tourism site, said the glass panel was replaced Wednesday night. He said the delay in replacement was due to the cold spell in northern Vietnam causing frost in the O Quy Ho Pass, forcing the team to wait until it was sunny to replace the panel.

On Feb. 12, a video captured by a male tourist when he and his wife visited the bridge on Feb. 10 revealed a glass panel that seemed to be cracking. At first, they chalked it up to "visual effects" to enhance the experience, but a closer inspection revealed the panel was indeed cracked and shards of glass had fallen off at the corner. Terrified, they got off the bridge.

He then uploaded the video on TikTok, which went viral and received millions of views.

A video footage of a glass panel on the Rong may glass bridges showing cracks. Footage obtained by VnExpress

At the time, Huan said the cracks on the glass panel were only "effects" used to enhance the experience. The panel, which was composed of both glass layers and bulletproof film, had received intentional force so cracks would appear and there would be shards at the corner, Huan said.

He said it would be safe even if someone was standing on the panel.

"This unfortunate misunderstanding was the fault of the tourism site for not having informed tourists about it," he added.

The Rong May Glass Bridge, opened to the public in 2019, is over 500 meters long with a 60 meter section extruding over a cliff. It also includes a glass elevator that goes up 300 meters. The bridge is the highest such glass structure in Vietnam, located at around 2,200 meters above sea level.

The latest quality inspection of the site by the Lai Chau Department of Construction prior to the incident was done in February 2021.

 
 
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