With the Khe Moi bridge left unfinished, Mon Son commune still faces the worry of being cut off...
“I spent four years as deputy village head and nineteen years as village head. Every year, during the rainy season, the Khe Moi area is deeply flooded, causing isolation, and we have to be on duty 24/7 to ensure the safety of the people…,” said Mr. Quang Van Hung, former head of Tan Hop village, describing the local situation during the rainy season to explain why the people want the Khe Moi bridge to be completed soon.
The "weak point" during the flood season.
Who has been there?Mon Son communeThose who lived in the former Con Cuong district must have passed through and known about the Khe Moi floodplain. This is because it's an easy vantage point to observe the scenery of Mon Son, with its endless green mountains stretching across the vast Muong Qua plain.
In late June, visiting Mon Son commune, in the Khe Moi floodplain, amidst the green of the mountains and rice fields, I saw another unfinished concrete bridge under construction. Surprisingly, the construction site only had a storage area for concrete components; there were no machines, equipment, or construction activities taking place.
When asked, residents of Mon Son commune in the surrounding area said that to facilitate transportation during the rainy season, the Khe Moi bridge was invested in and built by the People's Committee of Con Cuong district (formerly) around the end of 2024. However, construction was not continuous, and the contractor stopped work at many times, leading to the bridge project being left unfinished.
Meanwhile, the only way to reach Mon Son commune is via a single road from National Highway 7, passing through the Bong Khe - Yen Khe - Luc Da areas and crossing the Khe Moi spillway. The Khe Moi spillway area is very low-lying; it's fine under normal weather conditions, but during the rainy season, it frequently floods for hundreds of meters, causing disruption and making travel very difficult for residents, especially students. Therefore, voters in the area earnestly hope that the authorities will direct the construction unit to speed up the progress and complete the project before the 2026 rainy season.
In Luc Son village, Mr. Quang Van Hung has 23 years of experience as a grassroots official. According to Mr. Hung, throughout his 23 years as an official, every rainy season the Khe Moi spillway area is flooded, isolating and cutting off Mon Son commune.
Mr. Quang Van Hung said: “I spent four years as deputy village head and 19 years as village head of Tan Hop (now Luc Son village - PV). Every year, during the rainy season, flooding causes extreme difficulties and isolation. For example, in 2025, the water rose to the chest and neck of adults. The forces of the commune and villages had to put up prohibition signs and set up checkpoints on both sides of the Khe Moi spillway, on duty 24/7 to prevent people and vehicles from passing through to ensure safety...”
According to Mr. Hung, the people were very happy when they learned that the authorities had approved the investment in the construction of the Khe Moi bridge. However, the contractor's suspension of construction has caused concern and worry among the people, leading them to submit petitions to the authorities and the People's Council at all levels. "It's not just the voters of Luc Son village who have made this petition; it's the wish and request of all voters in Mon Son commune during recent meetings with representatives of the People's Council at all levels. Everyone is worried that Mon Son will continue to be isolated during this year's rainy season, as this is the only road for transportation...", Mr. Quang Van Hung affirmed.
The deadline must be met!
The Khe Moi Bridge project received approval for its feasibility study from the Provincial People's Committee in Decision No. 235/QD-UBND dated January 30, 2024, with the People's Committee of Con Cuong District (formerly) as the investor. This is a permanent reinforced concrete bridge with connecting roads at both ends, designed to meet the standards of a Class V mountain road. The total investment is 49.7 billion VND, with the objective of: “Constructing a bridge to replace the Khe Moi spillway on the inter-communal road connecting Bong Khe - Yen Khe - Luc Da - Mon Son to National Highway 7, aiming to ensure convenient and safe travel for the people, serving rescue operations during the rainy season and floods; strengthening the transportation infrastructure of the mountainous Con Cuong district; contributing to socio-economic development and ensuring security and defense in the area.”
According to representatives of the Mon Son Commune People's Committee, the Khe Moi bridge project was started in November 2024 by the contractor, a joint venture between Tam Duong Investment and Development JSC and Construction Company 439. According to the contract between the Management Board of Investment and Construction Projects of Con Cuong District (formerly) and the contractor, the Khe Moi bridge project commenced on November 18, 2024, and was to be completed within 720 days. Therefore, according to the schedule, the Khe Moi bridge should be completed and handed over for use by November 18, 2026.
After operating under a two-tiered local government system for some time, the Khe Moi Bridge Project was transferred to the Mon Son Commune People's Committee as the investor. Therefore, construction of the bridge was interrupted for a period. Recently, due to global fluctuations and rising material prices, the contractor has been working at a slow pace, and at times, construction has stopped. To date, over 23 billion VND out of the total 38 billion VND contract value for completed work has been disbursed. The occasional interruptions in the Khe Moi Bridge construction have caused concern among local residents, who worry that flooding and isolation will continue during the 2026 rainy season, leading to their petitions.
The Party Committee and the local government of Mon Son commune are also very concerned about this situation. Therefore, they have regularly urged the contractor to speed up construction to ensure progress; on the other hand, they have also submitted a written request to higher authorities to consider and promptly allocate sufficient investment funds for the Khe Moi Bridge Project.
In a recent conversation with the Chairman of the People's Committee of Mon Son Commune, Mr. Pham Manh Hung, we heard him say: “The Khe Moi Bridge has special significance for Mon Son Commune. Besides ensuring smooth traffic flow during the rainy and stormy seasons, it also promotes socio-economic development for the locality, especially tourism. During times of storms and floods causing inundation and isolation, the Party Committee, the government, and local forces have worked very hard, having to stay day and night at critical points to ensure the safety of the people. Regarding the disbursement of public investment capital, it is one of the top priorities currently. Therefore, the commune is very anxious to see the construction of the bridge stalled. Over the past period, the commune has repeatedly urged the contractor to bring in some workers, and recently they have brought in some laborers. Even so, the commune has requested that sufficient manpower and machinery be concentrated to organize construction to ensure progress...”
The flooding situation in the Khe Moi spillway area has been documented by officials and residents of Mon Son commune through numerous video clips and images. The footage shows that during heavy rains and floods, the water rises deeply, sometimes extending for hundreds of meters, with strong currents completely cutting off traffic on the road. Worryingly, after the administrative reorganization, Mon Son commune is now an independent commune. If the Khe Moi bridge remains unfinished by the start of this year's rainy season, the risk of continued isolation will further exacerbate difficulties in transportation, production, education, healthcare, and emergency response.
Therefore, the aspirations of voters and people in Mon Son commune for the early completion of Khe Moi bridge are entirely justified. It is suggested that the competent authorities should allocate sufficient resources to ensure the project's progress; at the same time, the People's Committee of Mon Son commune should strengthen supervision and require the construction unit to concentrate manpower and equipment, accelerate progress, and bring the project to completion on schedule, meeting the expectations of the people.
