The peach blossom land of Lung Cung in Lao Cai province longs for a road.

Lung Cung village, Nam Co commune, Lao Cai province, has a large population of Mong people. Although considered a land of flowers, Lung Cung still lacks transportation infrastructure.

Báo Thanh niên•05/03/2026

Before July 1, 2025, Lung Cung village belonged to Nam Co commune, Mu Cang Chai district , Yen Bai province . After the administrative boundary merger in 2025, Lung Cung village will belong to Nam Co commune, Lao Cai province.

Lung Cung village viewed from above.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

Mr. Chang A Co, head of Lung Cung village, said: The village has 219 households with 1,340 Mong ethnic people. Because their main income comes from growing cardamom, hawthorn (wild apple) and raising poultry, 50% of the households in the village are classified as poor or near-poor.

Terraced rice fields in Lung Cung village

PHOTO: QUYNH ANH

Many years of petitions have been made to build roads.

"The most important reason is that for many years there has been no convenient transportation route for villagers to bring agricultural products, livestock, and poultry to the commune center or along Highway 32 to sell," Village Head Chang A Co affirmed, adding: "From the Nam Co commune center to the village is a 25 km mountain road, which is not paved with concrete. In favorable weather, only motorbikes can travel on it. During the rainy season, the road is slippery, and even motorbikes with chains get stuck can't get through. Getting in and out of the village is only possible on foot, through areas prone to landslides."

Lung Cung is also known as the "land of Northwest flowers," but it lacks transportation infrastructure and electricity grids.

PHOTO: QUYNH ANH

Meanwhile, the Party Secretary of Chang A Hanh village shook his head: "Many villagers, when seriously ill, have had to carry their sick people on stretchers for half a day to National Highway 32 before they could hire a vehicle to take them to the central hospital. For decades, the villagers and officials have continuously complained and requested in meetings with the commune and the former Mu Cang Chai district about building a concrete road for convenient vehicle access, but to no avail."

Lung Cung is only accessible by motorbike when the weather is dry and favorable.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

"The district and (former) commune delegations have come to survey the area many times, but to this day, the villagers are still waiting for the road they are hoping for," said Chang A Co, the village head.

The hillsides of Lung Cung are ablaze with wild peach blossoms every Lunar New Year.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

Tired of waiting for electricity from the grid.

Besides lacking basic rural transportation infrastructure, Lung Cung is also one of the few villages in the northern border region that has not yet been connected to the national power grid .

Currently, the electricity used for nighttime lighting and meeting some basic living needs in some households in the village mainly comes from hydroelectric generators installed in the stream.

Some families who can afford it choose to buy small generators that run on gasoline or diesel.

The rest accept the lack of light at night or rely on oil lamps.

A rare grocery store in Lung Cung village.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

Mr. Chang A Hanh, Secretary of the Party Branch of Lung Cung village, said: After 18 years of continuous requests, it wasn't until Yen Bai merged into Lao Cai province that the higher-level authorities officially came to survey, hold meetings with households, and officially start bringing the power grid to the village before the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026. The Lao Cai power company also promised the people that it would be completed 3 months after the commencement of construction.

The village has 219 households with 1,340 inhabitants, but not a single house is built. The houses here are mostly traditional Hmong houses. On sunny days, the elderly and young women go out into the yard to sunbathe and mend clothes.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

Viettel's mobile phone network will help people in Lung Cung change their lives by 2026.

A resident of Lung Cung is engrossed in using his phone thanks to the Viettel network.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

Regarding communication, Village Head Chang A Co recounted: "At the end of 2025, after many years of requesting the installation of a cell phone tower so that people could have phone signals, but without success, due to the people's persistent requests, Lao Cai province has deployed the installation of a Viettel cell phone tower in Lung Cung village, starting from January 20, 2026."

Beautiful scenery throughout Lung Cung village after the Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

By now, Viettel's mobile phone coverage has extended throughout the village. However, due to various factors, the quality is sometimes poor in certain areas, especially for 4G internet access.

The hawthorn blossoms are blooming profusely in Lung Cung.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

"Having cell phone coverage in Lung Cung village is a huge achievement of the 21-member Party branch and 15 veterans and former soldiers who have been petitioning for decades," affirmed Chang A Hanh, Secretary of the village Party branch.

Tourists flock to Lung Cung.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

Thanks to Viettel's mobile phone coverage, during the recent Lunar New Year of the Horse 2026, thousands of tourists from all over the country learned about "the land of peach blossoms in Lung Cung" and traveled long distances to visit.

Spring flowers in Lung Cung

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

Giàng A Sang (a Youth Union official in Nậm Có commune), who lives in Lùng Cúng village, said: "Every year, peach blossoms bloom all over the village, but because of its remoteness, no one knows about it. When I got phone signal, I participated in livestreaming on social media, introducing the vibrant red peach blossom gardens to more people."

The scenery is like something out of a fairy tale.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

This information became known to some members of travel groups on Facebook and spread rapidly, prompting several photographers to come and photograph it, further contributing to its dissemination.

Plum and peach blossoms bloom profusely along the roadside.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

"Before and after the Lunar New Year of the Horse, the number of visitors to Lung Cung village was about 5,000. Each motorbike taxi ride from Tu Le to the village cost between 800,000 and 1 million VND, creating a sudden surge in income for the young people in the village. Some families also quickly opened temporary accommodation and food services. Families with beautiful flower gardens and photo spots charged an entrance fee for taking pictures," Village Head Chang A Co shared, adding, "That's not including accommodation, transportation, and food services outside the Tu Le area."

Tourists watch the villagers of Lung Cung perform cultural shows.

PHOTO: MAI THANH HAI

The current aspiration of the 1,340 Hmong people in Lung Cung village is for the central government and Lao Cai province to complete the extension of the power grid and build roads to the village. Only then will Lung Cung not be forgotten.