Wish for poor neighborhood Nam Thuom

BHG - Nam Thuom Hamlet, in Lung Chang Village, Linh Ho Commune (Vi Xuyen) has more than 50 households, mainly Dao ethnic people. Due to the fragmented terrain, the hamlet is quite isolated, surrounded by towering rocky mountains. For a long time, the people's lives have been difficult and arduous, their desire and wish is to have the national grid electricity to the village to open the way for the people to escape poverty.

From the central cultural house of Lung Chang village, we crossed a deserted forest road of about 5 km to reach Nam Thuom hamlet. Walking around the hamlet, we noticed that most of the houses were wooden, some were still makeshift, just enough to shelter from the sun and rain. This was the season of taking care of spring crops, so people often went to the fields or down to the fields. Waiting until noon, we met the families to ask, share and listen to the thoughts, wishes and desires of the people.

People in Nam Thuom hamlet, Lung Chang village, Linh Ho commune (Vi Xuyen) wish to have electricity for lighting.

Mr. Trieu Van Truong, a resident of Nam Thuom hamlet, said: A few years ago, the hamlet received investment from the State to build a rural concrete road and benefactors supported the construction of a 9-meter long, 3.5-meter wide bridge, creating favorable conditions for people to travel and for children to go to school with less difficulty. The hamlet was also installed with some solar lights, but they were not enough to provide enough light. Summer was still bearable, but in winter the fog was so thick that by 5-6 pm the sky was pitch black. The evening seemed to come earlier here. The houses were sparse, the space was quiet, darkness covered the mountains and forests, and occasionally there was a glimmer of light. Mr. Truong humorously added: "My children bought me a smartphone, but I only put it in my pocket. If I wanted to contact anyone, I had to go to the village center to catch a signal."

In the rainy season, people in Nam Thuom hamlet will take advantage of water sources in streams to make their own electricity and water, and in the dry season, they have to use kerosene lamps. Without electricity, the most disadvantaged are still the children, who find it difficult to play and study at night. In the hamlet, there are few houses that use televisions, electrical equipment and machines to serve their daily life. Every time they grind corn or rice, people have to spend a lot of time going out. Lack of electricity limits people's access to propaganda information, slow application of science and technology in production, and becomes a barrier to economic development. Because they only do slash-and-burn farming, grow corn, rice and raise livestock on a small scale, the rate of poor and near-poor households is the majority.

Comrade Luu Van Chien, Vice Chairman of Linh Ho Commune People's Council, said: Nam Thuom Hamlet is known as the "3 no" hamlet, no electricity, no signal, no community house. Only recently, when there was a concrete road and a bridge across the stream, children were able to go to school fully. Through support programs and policies of the Party and State and social resources, some households have had their temporary and dilapidated houses removed. In response to the urgent desire, originating from the people's minimum needs to have the national power line extended and roads expanded, through many Council meetings, dialogues, and voter contacts, the commune has also made recommendations to higher levels but has not been resolved. The main reason is that the population is sparse, unable to meet the investment in grid infrastructure. The local Party Committee and government are very concerned and hope that all levels and sectors will pay attention and create favorable conditions for investing in the power system to facilitate people's lives and production, contributing positively to the commune's poverty reduction.

Life continues every day, with worries, troubles, and also faith and hope. Hopefully, one day in the not too distant future, the lights will shine brightly in Nam Thuom to light up a bright, open future for the people here on the road ahead.

Article and photos: MOC LAN

Source: https://baohagiang.vn/xa-hoi/202504/mong-uoc-xom-ngheo-nam-thuom-09f0a39/