Residents of a commune in Kon Tum province will not have to glide on cables to cross the Po Ko River any longer.

On Monday, a bridge linking the two banks of the river opened to traffic.

The VND1.1 billion (US$56,500) Dan Tri and Khuyen Hoc Bridge, funded by the Vietnam Association for Promoting Education and online newspaper Dan Tri, has a length of 120 meters and a width of 1.2 meters after five months of construction.

Work on the bridge began in June after local media reported that residents in Dak Ang Commune in the Central Highlands Kon Tum Province’s Ngoc Hoi District had to cross the chasm using a 150-meter long cable and a pulley to get to school, work and the market.

The river is almost uncrossable by boat due to the fast-flowing current and the steep slopes along the river banks.

The residents rigged up the cable soon after a storm, in September last year, swept away several hanging bridges over the river.

Dan Tri and Khuyen Hoc Bridge was the first of three bridges to begin operating whose construction was funded by people nationwide to link two banks of the Po Ko River.