Measuring hardship through access to the national power grid not only helps reflect the living conditions of people in remote areas but also indicates the coverage of the national grid. This serves as an important basis for prioritizing investment resources for areas that still lack electricity, helping to narrow the development gap.

U Don village, Yen Phong commune, Thai Nguyen province (previously part of Yen My commune, Cho Don district, Bac Kan province), has 137 households in three residential clusters, including Khuoi Tao with 25 households.

Although located only a few kilometers from Yen Phong commune center, the lives of Khuoi Tao residents remain difficult. Before 2025, the road to the residential area was not paved, and the national grid had not yet reached the village.

In July 2024, with the fund from the national target program for socio-economic development in ethnic minority and mountainous areas for the 2021–2025 period under Decision No 1719/QD-TTg (NTG program 1719), the road to Khuoi Tao was concreted.

Also from the funding, the former Cho Don district people’s committee approved an investment project to extend the national power line to Khuoi Tao, with a two-year implementation timeline.

According to Chu Van Trieu, chair of Yen Phong commune people’s committee, the commune authorities are urging the contractor to speed up the execution, so that the project can be completed by the end of this year, bringing electricity to Khuoi Tao households in time for the 2026 Lunar New Year.

Although the national grid project for Khuoi Tao has not yet been energized, it has already “lit up” the hopes of 25 households there.

According to Luong Van La, a resident of Khuoi Tao, for many years, the electricity for lighting mainly comes from small power generators placed by the stream running through the village. The power is unstable, and during the dry season, when the stream dries up, residents have to rely on solar lamps or oil lamps.

“People hope to have access to the national grid soon. Electricity will not only bring light but also spark hope for a better life,” La shared.

1% of households still can’t access national grid

The Ministry of Ethnic and Religious Affairs, over the last five years, NTG program 1719 funded 442 electricity supply projects in extremely difficult areas, raising the rate of households with access to the national grid or other suitable power sources to 99 percent by the end of this year.

One percent of households in ethnic minority and mountainous areas still lack access to the national grid. These households are located in isolated, hard-to-reach areas with rugged terrain.

Ta Lang is one of the most difficult villages in Dong Van commune, Tuyen Quang province (previously part of Pai Lung commune, Meo Vac district, Ha Giang province). The village has 44 households with nearly 400 residents of Tay, Giay, and Mong ethnic groups.

Nestled deep in a valley surrounded by rocky mountains, Ta Lang is reached by an 8km steep, rocky trail that was only concreted in January 2019. The greatest challenge in Ta Lang remains the lack of national grid access. 

According to resident Lu A Ty, villagers once dreamed of having a proper road, and now they do. He hopes that with electricity, Ta Lang will develop even further.

“The village lies by the Nho Que River, near Tu San Canyon, the deepest canyon in Southeast Asia. More and more tourists come every year. If the national grid reaches us, our lives will surely improve,” Ty said.

Not only Ta Lang but many villages across the former Ha Giang province are still looking forward to accessing the national grid. Before merging with Tuyen Quang, the entire province still had 64 villages without infrastructure needed to connect to the national grid. These villages are being left behind in the ongoing digital transformation. 

In 2021-2025, in addition to national target programs, the electricity sector also runs the program on providing electricity to rural, mountainous and island under the PM’s Decision No1740/QD-TTg. However, bringing electricity to scattered remote villages remains a major challenge.

In Yen Tho commune, all the 346 local households still have no access to the national grid.

According to Cao Bang Power Company, to provide electricity to these five hamlets, the company has to set 26.1km of 35kV power lines and 32km of 0.4kV lines, with total costs of hundreds of billions of VND. 

In this context, NTG program 1719 continues to serve as an important funding source to eliminate the villages thirsty for electricity. Starting in 2026, ten subprojects under the program will be restructured within the second component of the national target program for the 2026–2035 period. It is expected that from 2026, 10 component projects of the program will be restructured in the second component of the common national target program 2026-2035. 

Binh Minh