Illuminating the 'remote areas' amidst the vast forest.

QTO - While the whole country is accelerating the implementation of "Digital Literacy for the People," at this time, some villages in the western part of the province still lack electricity and telecommunications coverage for communication and information access. Following the direction of the Vietnam Electricity Group, in recent days, Quang Tri Power Company (PC) has focused all its efforts on providing electricity to 17 of these "remote" villages and is striving to complete the project before December 15, 2025.

Trekking through forests and crossing streams to bring electricity to the village.

One day in early December 2025, from the headquarters of the Dong Hoi Power Management Team, we followed a convoy of vehicles carrying materials, equipment, and the unit's officers, engineers, and workers as they traveled through the mountains to the remote villages in the western part of the province to learn about the process of constructing power lines to these areas.

At the site in Ploang village, Deputy Head of the Dong Hoi Electricity Management Team, Ly Dinh Duc, shared: “This time, our unit was assigned the responsibility by the superiors to construct the electricity system in the remote and isolated villages of Truong Son commune such as Ploang, Rin Rin, Doc May, Sat, Hoi Ray, and Nuoc Dang. These villages are hidden deep in the Truong Son forest, obstructed by high mountains, ravines, rivers, and streams… so until now, they still have no electricity or telecommunications signal. Through field surveys, most of the aforementioned villages are located from 6km to nearly 20km away from the existing medium-voltage power grid. Therefore, our unit advised Quang Tri Power Company to develop a plan to use generators combined with temporarily extending the low-voltage grid. The plan sounds simple at first glance, however, bringing people, vehicles, and specialized equipment to these areas is a very complex journey, even relying on the support of others…” "Luck is key." For example, in Ploang village, if we didn't have accurate weather forecasts, just one heavy rainstorm and flooding could isolate the village from the outside world, inevitably delaying the construction progress. Or, in Doc May village, located near the Vietnam-Laos border, we had to trek through the deep forest for about half a day, planning to rent high-clearance 4x4 trucks and enlisting the help of bulldozers to transport materials, equipment, and personnel there."

PC Quang Tri workers transport materials by boat to work in Nuoc Dang village - Photo: VM

Continuing on to Thuong Trach commune to learn about the "campaign" to provide electricity to "remote areas" in Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park, Team Leader Phan Van Hoa of the Bo Trach Electricity Management Team shared: "This time, the team is assigned to be in charge of 7 out of 17 villages in the plan proposed by Quang Tri Power Company. Of these, 3 villages (Noong Moi, Niu, Co Do) have received investment for grid electricity thanks to their location near the medium-voltage power grid system invested in in 2022. For the remaining 4 villages (Doong, Cu Ton, A Ki, Troi), we have to deploy electricity using generators from 5-12kg, combined with temporary low-voltage lines. The workload is enormous, the terrain is mainly mountainous, and transporting materials is extremely difficult, but the unit recognizes this as an important political task, so we must be determined to complete it on schedule to bring electricity to the people in remote and border areas as soon as possible."

Electric lights illuminate the vast forest.

In a conversation with worker Le Duc Ngoc, from the Dong Hoi Electricity Management Team, who is directly involved in the construction and installation of the electricity system in the "remote areas" of Truong Son commune, we were told by Ngoc: "Each 'remote area' here has its own unique characteristics. Therefore, in some villages, our colleagues have to walk more than 10km through the forest; in others, we have to wade through fast-flowing streams, and materials have to be carried in small quantities; in still others, we have to travel by boat for more than 3 hours on the Long Dai River. Furthermore, once we reach the location, the construction teams have to stay for many days at the site to erect poles, lay wires, install meters, build houses for generators, and instruct the people on safe operation under extremely difficult conditions regarding living and sleeping arrangements. Despite the hardships, seeing the expectant and hopeful eyes of the people and children gives everyone renewed motivation to forget all the fatigue. Especially when the generators are tested and the lights come on in each house." "At home, the whole team felt incredibly happy, as if they themselves had benefited from it..."

“Providing electricity to the ‘remote areas’ of Quang Tri Power Company not only helps the Bru-Van Kieu, A Rem, and Ma Coong ethnic groups have more energy for lighting and better living conditions, but also ensures smooth communication. In particular, having electricity will contribute to the effective management of the locality, promote socio-economic development, install BTS stations, and create conditions for the people to integrate into the digital life. This is both a social responsibility and a commitment of the power industry to the people in the highlands,” shared Hoang Hieu Trung, Director of Quang Tri Power Company.

Nguyen Thi Thi, head of Ploang village in Truong Son commune, happily said: “Thanks to the attention of the Party and the State, Ploang village is currently receiving urgent investment in both electricity and telecommunications services. Soon, the villagers will have access to television, radio, online newspapers, and the internet to expand their knowledge. In the evenings, students will study more diligently thanks to sufficient lighting for reading and doing homework. When there are weddings, funerals, or other important events in the village, people can inform and invite each other via mobile phone, saving them from having to travel long distances which were very costly in terms of time and effort, and even dangerous in bad weather, as was the case before...”

Reportedly, the total investment for providing electricity to the "out-of-reach areas" of Quang Tri Power Company this time is expected to be over 7 billion VND. However, the operating costs of generators in these "out-of-reach areas" are estimated at nearly 12 billion VND per year.

Civilized

Source: https://baoquangtri.vn/xa-hoi/202512/thap-sang-cac-vung-lom-giua-dai-ngan-9226d9c/