‘Don’t Look Down’: Vietnam Glass-Bottomed Bridge Targets Thrill-Seekers

People walk on the Bach Long glass bridge during the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022. Picture taken May 28, 2022. (Reuters)
People walk on the Bach Long glass bridge during the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022. Picture taken May 28, 2022. (Reuters)
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‘Don’t Look Down’: Vietnam Glass-Bottomed Bridge Targets Thrill-Seekers

People walk on the Bach Long glass bridge during the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022. Picture taken May 28, 2022. (Reuters)
People walk on the Bach Long glass bridge during the opening ceremony at Moc Chau district in Son La province, Vietnam, May 28, 2022. Picture taken May 28, 2022. (Reuters)

A mountain resort in Vietnam has opened a bridge with a bottom made of glass over a gorge 150 meters (492.13 ft) below to attract thrill-seeking tourists, the third such bridge in the Southeast Asian country.

The Bach Long suspension bridge, which translates as "White Dragon", is in Son La province, northwest of the capital, Hanoi, and bordering Laos.

"I dared not look down as I am afraid of heights," said one visitor, Vi Thi Thu, 22, who ventured onto the bridge after attending Saturday's opening ceremony, which included dragon dancing and ribbon cutting.

The reinforced glass used for the bridge has three layers, each 40mm thick, and can hold up to 450 people at a time, according to a statement from the facility's owner.

The bridge is 290 meters long between two peaks on either side of a gorge, plus a 342-meter pathway on the cliffside.

Guinness World Records lists a 562-meter glass-bottomed bridge in Qingyuan, in China's Guangdong province, as the world's longest.

"The engineering required to build that into the side of a cliff but maintain all the features of nature, the greenery, the rocks, it's been an amazing project," said Glen Pollard, a representative of Guinness World Record, who attended the opening ceremony.

The World Record Association, also a record-certifying body, has listed the two-part Vietnamese bridge as the world's longest at 632 meters.

Another visitor at the opening ceremony said he quickly overcame initial nerves when walking on the bridge.

"At first it makes you panic, but then if you walked over around 10 glass panels, that feeling is gone," said Tran Xuan Tinh, 72.



Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

 This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
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Smoke From Canadian Fires Reaches Europe, Says EU Climate Monitor

 This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)
This photo provided by the Manitoba government shows wildfires in Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. (Manitoba government via AP)

Heavy smoke from intense wildfires in Canada has reached northwestern Europe, the European Union's climate monitoring service said on Tuesday.

The huge plumes are at very high altitude and do not pose an immediate health risk, it said in a statement.

"Smoke originating from the wildfires in the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan has been transported across the Atlantic," the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service (CAMS) said.

Satellites tracked the smoke in mid-May, with some plumes reaching as far east as Greece and the eastern Mediterranean.

"A second, much larger, smoke plume crossed the Atlantic during the last week of May, reaching northwestern parts of Europe on June 1," CAMS said.

Additional plumes are expected to shade the continent in the coming days.

Wildfire smoke is comprised of gaseous pollutants such as carbon monoxide, along with water vapor and particle pollution, which can be particularly hazardous to health.

A high concentration of carbon monoxide is expected to pass over northwestern France, including the Paris Basin, on Tuesday.

The high-altitude smoke headed for Europe is not expected to have a significant impact on surface air quality, but is likely to result in hazy skies and reddish-orange sunsets.

Manitoba in central Canada is experiencing its worst start to the fire season in years due to drought, and Saskatchewan to the west declared a state of emergency at the end of May, evacuating thousands of residents.

"Central regions of Canada have experienced a very intense few weeks in terms of wildfire emissions," said Mark Parrington, scientific director at CAMS.

Canadian authorities have forecast a more intense fire season than usual this summer in central and western Canada, due in particular to severe or extreme drought.

Elsewhere, extensive forest fires have been raging in Russia's Far Eastern Federal District since early April, particularly east of Lake Baikal, generating carbon emissions of around 35 million tons, Copernicus reported.