'Dragon's Jaws' to be tourist drawcard

Dragon's Jaw Bridge battle site, a symbol of the courage, resilience and will of the Vietnamese people in the war against the US, will become a tourist destination in the central province of Thanh Hoa.

Ham Rong Bridge. ― File photo

This follows recent plans by Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung to preserve, restore and promote the values of the site.

The Ham Rong area will be built into a centre of ecological and cultural tourism. It will include a camping site and an entertainment and sports centre covering a total area of nearly 600ha.

The site will include world-renowned Dong Son archaeological site connected to the ancient Dong Son culture of 3,500 years ago.

The overall site covers not only battle sites in mountains around Ham Rong, but also old villages (Dong Son, Hac Oa and Phuong Xa) and religious sites containing pagodas and cathedrals.

A trade centre, hotels, restaurants, cultural and recreational areas will be developed beside the Ma River. It will include an ethnic area, archaeological park and botanical garden to serve visitors and researchers.

Ham Rong Bridge has gone down in history as a symbol of the courage and resilience of the Vietnamese people during the Americans.

The Vietnamese gave it the nickname Ham Rong (Dragon's Jaw). In 1965 during the American war, it was subjected to many attacks by the US Air Force and Navy aircraft, but they failed to destroy the bridge.