230 ATW Ha Long

BAY OF THE DESCENDING DRAGON

In June 2016, images of the new 2,165-metre cable car across Ha Long Bay (Vinh Ha Long) in Vietnam went around the world. The world's largest aerial tramway carries around six million visitors a year from Ha Long City to the summit of Ba Deo Hill, where the client, Sun Group, has built an amusement park. It overcomes a difference in elevation of 88.5 m and can carry around 5,000 people per hour in each direction, using two double-deck cabins that each hold up to 230 passengers.

…AND THE RISING TOWERS

Due to its location in the busy port of Ha Long, some of the tallest ropeway towers in the world at the time had to be designed to ensure that shipping below is not obstructed. Two towers, 123.45 m and 188.88 m high, were designed – figures that also represent traditional Vietnamese lucky numbers. Both towers were built on artificial islands, and the foundation loads are transferred to load-bearing rock via deep bored piles. When the ropeway opened, the taller of the two was the tallest ropeway tower in the world.

BCI developed the tower concepts together with Gleitbau Salzburg, which also carried out the demanding slipforming works with Vietnamese partner companies. Regular site visits for advice and support helped bring the project successfully across the finish line together.