With electricity, many new things came along...
(Baonghean) - "Electricity has arrived, and many new things will follow" - That's the common thought of the Thai and Kinh people in Bua, Xom Moi, and Toong 2 villages, Chau Phong commune (Quy Chau).
(Baonghean) - "Electricity has arrived, and many new things will follow" - That's the common thought of the Thai and Kinh people in Bua, Xom Moi, and Toong 2 villages, Chau Phong commune (Quy Chau).
"Innovation" in Xóm Mới
This weekend morning, Xóm Mới village (Châu Phong commune, Quỳ Châu district) seemed busier than usual. The red flag with a yellow star, since the electricity grid was connected, still hung in front of every house in this small, densely populated hamlet in the highlands. We stopped at a small shop at the beginning of the village. Everyone shared a cheerful story, all revolving around the arrival of electricity. Some said that with the electricity grid, the village would become more civilized. Others, more practical, shared: "For a long time, everyone in the family has loved drinking iced water and eating ice cream, but we always had to go to the market to get it. Now that the national electricity grid has arrived, we'll have to buy a refrigerator so the whole family can enjoy iced water and ice cream to their heart's content."
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| Ms. Tran Thi Lan's gas station in Chau Phong commune (Quy Chau district) no longer needs a generator. |
The villagers of Xóm Mới recount that on the night the transformer station was inaugurated and electricity was switched on in the village, almost no one slept. People visited each other's homes as if it were Tet (Vietnamese New Year). They celebrated together by opening rice wine to mark the arrival of national electricity. From now on, the villagers could say goodbye to the unsafe mini-generators powered by stream water, which provided an unstable power supply.
Another person chimed in with a humorous anecdote, saying they still hadn't gotten used to the new rhythm of life with electricity. They'd wake up in the middle of the night, fumbling for a flashlight, just like they'd done for years. It wasn't until their wife flipped the switch, illuminating the entire house, that they suddenly remembered they had electricity and no longer needed a flashlight.
At 44 years old, having spent nearly 10 years selling groceries and noodles, Ms. Nguyen Thi Lan Anh is perhaps the happiest of all. She says that since starting her business, she has mainly relied on self-generated electricity from a stream. Every day she had to order ice from Quy Chau town, 25 km away. When grid electricity became available, she immediately bought an ice-making freezer. Now she no longer has to worry about waiting for ice from delivery trucks from the district town. Her plan is to utilize the national power grid to expand her business in the future.
Not far away is the commune's gas station. The owner, Ms. Tran Thi Lan, said the station has been operating for six years, serving the fuel needs of the people in the surrounding villages. Before the national power grid was connected, they had to generate electricity using a generator each time they pumped gas. Customers in the area had developed a habit of driving their motorbikes to the station every morning to refuel. They would often have to wait in line before the owner started the generator and pumped gas all at once, avoiding the need to repeatedly turn the engine off. Ms. Lan said that from now on, she won't need the generator anymore, saving money on fuel and avoiding the inconvenience of making customers wait to refuel.
20 years of electricity shortage
We visited Toong 2 village. Anh Vi Van Nghia, the village deputy, said that the village has 86 households and a population of over 300 people. Currently, 100% of households have electricity. Despite economic difficulties, the villagers still strive to use the national power grid. One elderly woman even wrote a song: "This old woman will live until cars carrying goods come to the village, until there are lamps that don't need oil. The road for cars has reached the village long ago, but the light bulbs that don't need oil still shine, that old woman couldn't wait any longer." These seemingly simple aspirations have persisted for 20 years since Quy Chau district began using the national power grid.
Nghia smiled and said, "Today I want to treat myself to a day off to comfortably sit in front of the TV and watch the station's programs." Previously, Nghia's family had a turbine that generated electricity from a stream, but the power supply was weak and unstable. Once they started watching TV, they didn't need to turn on the lights. When they needed light for dinner, they had to turn off the TV. Because of this, he rarely got to watch a good movie or a favorite TV show. Almost every year, Nghia had to replace his TV. And the number of broken electrical outlets, fans, and phone chargers was countless. The fluctuating power from the stream was the cause of many electrical short circuits and fires.
Right next to the main road is the shop of Ms. Ha Thi Thi, a grocery store owner in Toong 2 village. She proudly showed off her new refrigerator for ice cream. Meanwhile, young Lo Thi Yen has been diligently working at her electric sewing machine since morning. She has been learning to sew for three months now and is quite skilled. Yen says that after mastering the craft, she will return to her village to open a clothing store. With electricity now available, young people like Yen in the village have more opportunities to create their own jobs.
Unfulfilled wish
However, the joy has not yet reached all the villages in Chau Phong commune, a mountainous area. Out of 19 villages in the commune, only 3 have access to the national power grid. The other villages are still waiting for electricity from the national grid. It is rumored that the power sector will extend electricity to two more villages between now and the end of 2015. Therefore, the majority of villages in Chau Phong commune still don't know when they will have access to the national power grid.
On our way to Chau Hoan and Dien Lam, areas where no villages currently have electricity, we heard a common hope that the power grid would soon reach them. Lo Thi Hao, a student from Nat Tren village in Chau Hoan commune, confided to us: "I heard that the students in Chau Phong commune are already studying under electric lights. I also hope that electricity will come to my village soon so that my study lamp can shine brighter."
This is also the fervent hope of the students who are boarding in the homes of local families in Na Ba village, Chau Hoan commune. The households hosting these students have to share electricity and water, which are often weak and unstable, with the children. Quang Van Thanh, a resident with 10 students boarding in his house, said: "If the power grid reached our area, the children's lives and studies would be much easier."
HỮU VI
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