VIETNAMESE PASSENGERS DISEMBARK FROM BINH FERRY, 1998-07-28 (photo)

Vietnamese passengers leave the slow and outdated Binh Ferry that crosses the River Cam in Haiphong July 26. A new $56 million 1.3 km suspension bridge mainly funded by development assistance from Britain, the Netherlands and Finland was to have been built near here. However, Britain said the bridge was not economically viable and pulled out of the project last month. The Netherlands has now also pulled out and Finland is likely to follow, leaving this planned crucial link between the country's second largest port and northeastern Vietnam and China under threat. AJS/TAN//FMS