Khe Ngau village looking forward to the bridge

(Baonghean) -Our Khe Ngau village (Xa Luong commune - Tuong Duong) has over a hundred households. Since the establishment of the village, we have been friends with the ferry. Up to now, there have been dozens of generations of people born and died, but it is still the same. Until the last ten years, the government built a very sturdy concrete bridge. The people were happy to escape the ferry, and when the rainy season came, they no longer had to worry about the ferry sinking.


The Khe Ngau villagers were happy for about 2 years, then a big flood came and swept away the bridge. This time, the people pooled their money to buy bamboo and cables to make a pontoon bridge, then in 2009 they built a bigger, more beautiful bridge. Then a very big flood, 2 years ago, destroyed the bridge again!

Back to the pontoon bridge. Every six months or so after the flood, the Khe Ngau villagers have to worry about buying bamboo to rebuild the bridge, each time costing several million dong. In 2 years, the villagers have had to rebuild the bamboo bridge 4 times.

Children in the village only had school up to grade 4. If they wanted to continue their studies, they had to go to the main school on the other side of the river. So for the whole school year, the children had to walk back and forth on a pontoon bridge to learn. When the water rose, the bridge seemed to be about to float away. Parents were afraid to let their children go to school anymore.

When asked, the district officer kept saying, "Don't worry, the bridge is coming soon." After waiting for almost 2 years, still nothing?!
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(According to Village Chief Truong Van May and Khe Ngau villagers, Xa Luong commune - Tuong Duong)

You Wei