Vietnamese Gateway Victoria Street

A monument of cultural significance to the Vietnamese community, the Victoria Street Gateway was erected with minimal impact to pedestrians, cars, trams and trains alike on the corner of Victoria and Hoddle Streets; one of the busiest intersections in Melbourne. 

A visual representation of the mating in mythical times of a dragon king, Lac Long Quan, and a fairy goddess, Au Co, who was the daughter of a bird king. Their mating produced 100 eggs that hatched to become the 100 sons who fathered the Vietnamese people. These eggs are represented in the boat-shaped belly of the beast.

The monument included a mix of structural steel, parafil cable systems incorporating vibrant Vietnamese style lanterns suspended over Victoria Street. The rail bridge beside the structure was revitalized with aluminium artwork to compliment the development.

Several technical & buildability challenges due to the design and location were overcome by a comprehensive consultative approach with the Design Team, Yarra City Council, VicRoads, Yarra Trams, MTM / Victrack & Transdev.