Despite the prohibition sign, fishermen drag their boats and damage the bridge in Dien Chau.

Present at Dien Kim bridge, in Dien Kim commune, Dien Chau, the reporter recorded dozens of boats anchored at the foot of the bridge. It is worth mentioning that the body of Dien Kim bridge has been turned into a mooring point for boats with many stairs and ropes tied tightly to the bridge body, causing severe damage to the bridge. The railings on both sides of the bridge have broken and cracked, posing a danger to traffic participants.

Ships turn Dien Kim bridge into an anchorage with many ropes, specialized ladders... Photo: Quang An

Mr. Nguyen Van Trung, a resident of Dien Kim commune, was upset: This is a public bridge serving the travel needs of the people, there are ports, estuaries... for mooring boats, but many fishermen still deliberately anchor. Especially during times of heavy rain and strong winds, the boats are pushed far away, causing the bridge to shake, with the risk of collapsing at any time.

It is worth mentioning that although the locality has posted signs prohibiting boat mooring and has issued many warnings and sanctions, this situation still continues.

A steel ladder used for refueling is attached to the bridge railing. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Long, a seafood trader who regularly travels on this route, sighed: Dien Kim bridge is narrow, just wide enough for one car to pass, so every time a tanker truck or truck refuels or supplies ships anchored at the foot of the bridge, traffic here is congested for hours, affecting people's work.

Regarding this issue, the People's Committee of Dien Kim commune has repeatedly requested in writing to the People's Committee of Dien Chau district and Dien Thanh Border Guard Station to prohibit boats from anchoring at the bridge to anchor and refuel. However, this situation still occurs frequently, and the district government and relevant agencies have not yet found a thorough solution.

According to the reporter's investigation, most of the boat owners here are fishermen from Dien Bich commune. Mr. Nguyen Van Lien - Vice Chairman of Dien Bich commune People's Committee admitted that there is a situation where fishermen in the commune are dragging and anchoring their boats at Dien Kim bridge. "We have coordinated with the border guard station many times to remind and ask fishermen to sign a commitment, however, whenever there is no functional force, these households violate the law..." Mr. Lien said.

The Dien Kim bridge's components are seriously degraded. Photo: Quang An

Currently, Dien Kim bridge has damaged some items, especially the bridge railing. If there is no drastic solution to completely prohibit boats from anchoring and mooring, Dien Kim bridge will continue to be damaged and traffic congestion here will continue to occur.

Dien Kim Bridge is a steel girder bridge, over 100m long and 3m wide. The bridge connecting Dien Kim and Dien Bich communes of Dien Chau district was built in 1994. After 25 years of use, Dien Kim Bridge has contributed to ensuring traffic for people in the coastal communes of Dien Chau.

Dien Kim Bridge is the most important bridge of Dien Chau coastal communes, with a large volume of traffic every day. Photo: Xuan Hoang

This bridge plays an important role in connecting Dien Ngoc and Dien Bich communes with Dien Kim across the Lach Van estuary, where the largest fishing port in Dien Chau is located. However, due to the erosion of time, Dien Kim bridge has seriously degraded. At the end of 2016, the bridge was repaired and upgraded at a cost of 1.4 billion VND.