At the start of the new school year, Hope Bridge 458 was inaugurated, bringing joy to residents of Hamlet 3 in Tan Hoa Lap Commune, Tay Ninh Province. The 24-meter-long, 3.5-meter-wide concrete bridge can carry loads of up to 2.5 tons and cost VND570 million (US$21,930) to build.

The bridge is expected to improve both the material and spiritual well-being of local farmers and change the face of the disadvantaged area.

Le Van Nhan, Party secretary of Nhon Hoa Lap Commune, said many Hope Bridges across the commune have removed transportation bottlenecks that had persisted for more than a decade, hampering medical emergencies, fertilizer deliveries and the transport of farm produce.

Following the project, Hope Foundation broke ground on three more bridges — Nos. 467, 468 and 469 — in Tan Binh Hamlet, Tan Thanh Commune, Tay Ninh. The new bridges will replace a deteriorated system of wooden plank bridges that has been at risk of collapse during rainy season.

In Can Tho, after building more than 140 Hope Bridges in previous years, the "Road to School" program returned and opened Hope Bridge 416, its first bridge of 2026.

Before the bridge opened, students and residents traveling to the area center had to take a detour over another bridge or travel by boat. These daily journeys, as well as the transport of goods, took longer and created additional hardship.

"Hope Bridge 416 has created a convenient link between Thanh Quoi and Thanh Phu areas, shortening travel distances and making trade, study and daily life easier," a local official said.

In the first nine months of 2026, nearly 30 reinforced concrete bridges, each 3.5 to 4.5 meters wide, were completed across canals and rivers in southern Vietnam. Their total construction cost exceeded VND20 billion.

Hope Foundation contributed more than VND4 billion, funded by one day's salary donated by FPT Group employees, along with support from businesses and individuals. Local authorities and residents covered the remaining costs.

Since its launch, the "Road to School" program has built more than 470 Hope Bridges nationwide and aims to reach 800 by 2030.

Nguyen Tien Danh, project director of "Road to School" at Hope Foundation, said transport infrastructure projects provide not only technical benefits but also direct social welfare value.

"When concrete bridges go up, the cost of transporting farm produce falls and the exchange of goods increases. Above all, the distance from home to school for children in river areas becomes shorter and safer, giving rural children a more stable path to education," Danh said.

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