Since 2011, when I was appointed as the project manager for this monumental SpienTsubasa project, I have literally lived and worked on the construction site together with my fellow engineers. We faced various challenges during construction, but the hopeful voices of those who looked forward to the completion of this bridge always reminded me how important this project was for improving people’s lives. This kept us going, as after all that is what we ‘civil engineers’ are meant for – to be engineers for the people.

Mr Christopher Lim I have worked in the Spien Tsubasa project office since 2011. I am so happy and proud that the bridge has been successfully completed. As an accountant, I dealt with almost every single one of my diverse and wonderful colleagues and got to know them very well. In fact, I ended up marrying one of the engineers on the team. So it was personally, not just professionally, a happy and rewarding experience for me. Every time I set eyes on this bridge, I will always remember wonderful moments I had while working on-site.

Mr Chum Sinan I was dispatched to support this project from Sumitomo Mitsui Construction in the Philippines in 2013. Working with team members from different countries was not as difficult as I had initially imagined. Some of the engineers had little prior on-site experience, but we always tried to support and respect each other as equal partners. I am so proud to have been part of this historical project for Cambodia.

Mr Hok Phanna I worked for over three years as one of the engineers on the Spien Tsubasa project team, which was a multi-national team comprising of professionals from Cambodia, Japan, the Philippines and Bangladesh. English was the common language amongst us. It was not always easy, but we were all engineers working towards the same goal, and we managed to overcome various hardships together. In January this year, I was blessed with a baby girl who was born as the ends of the bridge were physically joined over the Mekong River. Both events were deeply moving for me. One day, when my daughter grows up, I will proudly say to her, “Your father helped build this beautiful bridge.”

Mr Ikuo Kitada, project manager, Sumitomo Mitsui Construction I was lucky enough to join the Spien Tsubasa project team immediately after graduating from university. The on-site learning was almost overwhelming, as I got exposed to a wealth of engineering skills and knowledge that I had never learnt at school. In my hometown Kampong Cham, there is the Kizuna Bridge, and everyone knows that this was built by Japan. Now I can boast about this new bridge and my first professional experience to my family and friends.