Vietnam's new glass-bottom bridge officially the world's longest
A glass-bottomed walkway in Vietnam, which opened to much public fanfare in April, has officially been declared the world's longest bridge of its kind by Guinness World Records.
The Back Long bridge is 632 metres long and is suspended 152 metres above the ground.
The bridge is extended above the jungle of north Son La province in northwestern Vietnam.
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Guinness World Records has confirmed it is the longest bridge of its kind. AFP
The glass bridge was a joint collaboration between local tourism authorities and a French construction company to help revive tourism, badly hit by the global pandemic when the country shut its borders to international visitors.
Bridge designers used two 30-metre-high towers and Korean bearing cables to construct the bridge, with tempered glass featuring on the walkway.
The glass was reportedly sourced from Saint Gobain of France and is three layers thick.
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The bridge opened to tourists in April. CNN
The main bridge deck is 2.4 metres wide and connects to Chim Than Cave, known as "God Bird Cave", which features natural stalactites.
A maximum of 500 people are allowed on the bridge at the time.
Not everyone was impressed, with some having to fight back their fears as they made the journey across the bridge for the first time.
Visitors take photos on the walkway section of the Bach Long glass bridge. AFP
Spokesperson Hoang Manh Duy tells New York Post: "By standing on the bridge, travellers will be able to admire the beauty of nature."
Vietnamese tourism chiefs are hoping the bridge lures back tourists following the coronavirus pandemic.
A maximum of 500 people are allowed on the bridge at the time. CNN
The previous record for world's longest glass-bottomed bridge was held by a structure measuring 526 metres in length in Guangdong, China.
Guinness World Records officials certified the bridge over the weekend, local media outlets reported.
It is the third glass bridge to be built in Vietnam. In 2018, another spectacular mountain footbridge, held up by a pair of enormous stone hands, made global headlines after it opened in the Ba Na Hills area in Central Vietnam.
Additional reporting by CNN.
