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| The bridge spanning the estuary connects the two banks of Thai Duong |
The two banks of Thai Duong
Standing on the Thai Duong Ha Thuong Giap bank and looking across the estuary, the distance now seems remarkably short. From the bridge, villages, landing points, and aquaculture areas appear within the same landscape. The estuary is still there, but the way people travel and make a living has changed.
Thai Duong Village was established more than 500 years ago, closely connected with the lives of coastal communities and layers of culture built up over time. The village's name is associated with a legend about the female deity Thai Duong. Villagers built a place of worship in her honor and later gave the village the name Thai Duong.
According to 78-year-old Nguyen Van Mai, former head of the Thai Duong Village administration (Thai Duong Ha Ha Giap), understanding today's place names requires looking back at the former Thai Duong Village. Because the village covered a large area, it was divided into different sections, or Giap, which eventually gave rise to different names: Thai Duong Thuong (Upper Thai Duong) and Thai Duong Ha (Lower Thai Duong).
In the past, Thai Duong Village was a continuous strip of land stretching from Vinh Tri Village to Hoa Duan. After the 1904 Year of the Dragon storm, the estuary opened up, dividing Thai Duong Ha into two sides. This led to the formation of Thai Duong Ha Thuong Giap on the northern bank and Thai Duong Ha Ha Giap on the southern bank. Although the names and boundaries have changed, Mr. Mai says, these communities still share the same roots.
Dua ferry was once a familiar means of transportation for local residents. Baskets of agricultural produce from Quang Cong, Quang Ngan, and the Ngu Dien area would be carried across the estuary by ferry before continuing on to markets. The landing point was also closely tied to the rhythm of trade in the coastal region.
Today, Dua ferry exists only in people's memories, while a steady stream of vehicles crosses the bridge over Thuan An Estuary every day.
The bridge connecting the two banks of the estuary
Construction of the Thuan An Estuary Bridge began in 2022, with a total investment of nearly VND 3.5 trillion. The bridge itself is approximately 2.3 kilometers long and 20 meters wide, connecting with the coastal road network. It is now open to traffic, awaiting its official inauguration. Mr. Nguyen Van Mai says that after the bridge was completed, it takes only a few minutes to reach the communes in the Ngu Dien area. "The two banks of the estuary have never been this close," he said.
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| The Thuan An Estuary Bridge in its first days after opening to traffic |
For local residents, the first benefit of the bridge is greater freedom and flexibility. They no longer have to wait for a ferry, calculate their journeys according to the tides, or take longer routes around the estuary. Going to the market, taking children to school, visiting medical facilities, or transporting goods has all become easier.
On January 1, 2025, the new Thuan An Ward was established through the merger of Hai Duong Commune and Thuan An Ward. On July 1, 2025, Phu Thuan and Phu Hai communes were also merged into it, creating Thuan An Ward in its current form. Residents of Thai Duong Thuong, Thai Duong Ha Thuong Giap, and Thai Duong Ha Ha Giap are now part of the same ward.
Mr. Le Dinh Phong, Chairman of the Thuan An Ward People's Committee, believes the bridge creates new opportunities for development. Thuan An has an estuary landscape, a coastal village way of life, and distinctive cultural values. With improved transportation, the locality has an opportunity to explore tourism linked to its culture, daily life, and residents' livelihoods.
At the old ferry landing, people once measured time by the tides. Now, simply watching the steady flow of traffic across the bridge, residents can imagine a different rhythm of life. Distances are now measured in minutes, while people are beginning to think more broadly about markets.
Mr. Nguyen Hanh, an elderly fisherman from Thai Duong Ha Thuong Giap, says his biggest concern is finding markets for local products. Making a living from the sea and catching fish is difficult; selling that fish at a good price is even harder. With better roads, residents can transport their goods to more places, rather than being limited to nearby markets. For him, this is an opportunity for traditional occupations to embrace new ways of working.
The bridge is also prompting service providers to start looking toward the other side of the estuary. A restaurant can attract customers from other areas. A household with a distinctive local product can consider introducing it directly to tourists. These possibilities now have better conditions to become reality.
An opportunity becomes a livelihood only when local people actively take it up. The bridge opens the way, but the way people work and the dynamism of the community will determine whether the flow of people and goods stops here or simply passes through. Thai Duong now faces a new challenge: turning its advantages into value.
From better transportation to new development opportunities
In the morning on the new bridge, vehicles travel one after another across the estuary. Below, boats continue to come and go, while residents carry on with the familiar work of a coastal village. Above the water, a new road is genuinely expanding the space available for activities that were previously limited by distance.
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| Thai Duong Ha Thuong Giap Village |
Mr. Vu Van Chuong, Vice Chairman of the city's Tourism Association, says the area's advantages lie in its estuary landscape and relatively authentic coastal village lifestyle. With improved transportation, travel companies can connect different destinations and bring tourists closer to community life.
According to him, each village could develop its own distinctive experience, from fishing and aquaculture to learning about local daily life and culture. The bridge creates new possibilities for things that are ordinary to local residents to become experiences for visitors.
On the bridge, residents see not only a new road but also new journeys. Vendors can take their products to the other bank earlier. Aquaculture farmers can consider reaching more distant markets. Service providers can welcome visitors from Thuan An, the city center, and neighboring areas. Young people also have more employment options without having to restrict their daily travel radius.
Mr. Le Dinh Phong says what residents see most clearly in the bridge is not simply a shorter journey, but the new opportunities opening up in their own homeland. Aquaculture farmers can consider taking their products to larger markets; businesses and restaurants have more opportunities to welcome customers from the other side of the estuary and nearby areas. The existing strengths of the coastal village, from traditional occupations and local products to its landscape and community life, therefore, have better conditions to develop into products and services. For young people, the bridge also creates more space to work, provide services, and start businesses in their hometown.
Mr. Nguyen Van Mai views the bridge from another perspective. Having spent his entire life connected to the village, what he hopes for is not only easier transportation, but also greater recognition of Thai Duong's cultural values. Stories about the village's origins, its communal house, customs, and family lineages, he says, need to be preserved and passed on.
For this reason, as transportation improves, preserving local identity becomes even more important. Dua ferry may now exist only in memory, but the values that shaped life in Thai Duong should not disappear along with the ferry crossings. They could instead become the raw material for local people to create their own cultural, tourism, and service products.
The bridge has completed its role as a piece of transport infrastructure: bringing the two sides closer together. The next step lies in how residents, businesses, and local authorities work together to make use of that advantage. Goods must move more efficiently, services need more customers, tourism needs its own distinctive stories, and residents need more livelihood options.
The journey from Dua ferry landing to the bridge spanning the estuary has been a long one. For the people of Thai Duong, today's hope is not simply to cross the estuary more quickly, but that the bridge will give their homeland new opportunities to reach farther.