Many tourists have a Tibetan dream, because the high altitude makes some people unable to go and adds a sense of mystery.

There are many routes to Tibet. In addition to flying directly to Lhasa, Nyingchi and other cities, you can also take the Qinghai-Tibet line, Dian-Tibet line and Sichuan-Tibet line.

I have heard several friends say that tickets for Tibet are expensive. Is this really the case?

Frankly speaking, with the exception of Nyingchi Suosong Village, the Yarlung Zangbo River Grand Canyon and other scenic spots, the ticket prices are slightly higher. Tickets for most other places are very cheap. Even in the tourist season, the ticket for Gala Peach Blossom Village is only 30 yuan, but Most of the beautiful attractions along the route are free of charge.

Our car went from Lhasa to Shigatse. The destination was Mount Everest Base Camp. It passed a place called Manla Reservoir along the way. It was about 4,200 meters above sea level. There were almost no plants on the mountain. The lake was under the brown-gray mountain and the lake was pink-green. It is like a beautiful emerald inlaid on a plateau, pure and intoxicating beauty.

Manla Reservoir has a viewing platform, located on a high mountain, next to it is a toilet. Some self-driving travelers choose to park here and enjoy the scenery by the way, and so do we.

Manla Reservoir is located at the upper reaches of Nianchu River in Longma Township, Gyangze County. It mainly provides irrigation water for nearby areas and uses hydroelectric power to deliver electricity to nearby residents.

This reservoir is about 28 kilometers away from Gyangze County and 113 kilometers away from downtown Shigatse. The dam has a length of 287 meters and a height of 76.3 meters. It is called the “First Dam in Tibet.”

The reputation of Manla Reservoir in the tourist circle is very small, but the tourists who pass by here are all impressed, especially when the weather is clear, the blue sky and white clouds reflect the lonely mountains and green water, majestic, atmospheric and beautiful, and it will rise when the wind is strong. Prayer flags from the top of the hill.

It takes less than five minutes to climb a flight of steps from the parking position to the viewing platform. However, because the altitude is more than 4000 meters above sea level, you will feel a little pant if you walk fast, and it feels much better to slow down.

In terms of practical significance, Manla Reservoir is a natural landscape + artificially constructed landscape belt. Although there are many similar mountains in Tibet, their appearances are different. If you have to compare a place with the Manla Reservoir, I personally think that the Yamdrok Yumso has the highest similarity, but in terms of the degree of danger and sense of desolation, the Manla Reservoir seems more obvious.

The beauty of Tibet is not only in the destination, but also along the way. Whether it is the Yunnan-Tibet line, the Qinghai-Tibet line, or the Sichuan-Tibet line, there are many places as beautiful as Manla Reservoir that do not charge tickets. The premise is that you can slowly discover and appreciate it if you are not in a hurry.

Since the establishment of the Hua Na hydropower reservoir, people in Thong Thu and Dong Van communes (Que Phong district) have had more fish cage farming (photo). Up to now, on this lake surface, there are about 80 households participating in raising 326 fish cages of all kinds; in which many species have high economic value such as sea bass, mackerel, climbing fish, beetle, carp … With the selling price of about 50,000 VND / kg of carp, 100,000 VND / kg of climbing fish, ladybug, 120,000 VND / kg of sea bass and fish has provided farmers with a high and stable income. Among the people who have succeeded in making a living on the reservoir of Hua Na hydroelectricity include Mr. Lang Van Mao from Tuc village (Dong Van commune). In addition to the model of raising fish cages, this Thai ethnic boy also accepts to zonize, plant and protect forests on a floating hill in the lake bed, combine raising pigs, chickens … bamboo) has given him an income of over 100 million VND / year. In addition, Mr. Mao also took a boat carrying tourists to take wedding photos, admire the lake scenery, serve food … earn more income. In addition, at the Ban Ve hydropower reservoir, there are about 338 fish cages currently raised by people in Luong Minh, Huu Khuong and Yen Na communes (Tuong Duong district). In addition to raising fish in cages in the lake bed, people also add fishing in the wild, setting up farms along the lake to raise goats, cows, pigs …

Ancient Mayan civilization simulated on a 3D model. The laser survey showed that in a mountainous region north of Yucatán, called Puuc, the Mayans built remarkable structures, including artificial reservoirs, more than 1,200 stoves, several fields. ladder to cultivate … Research lead William Ringle, professor emeritus of anthropology at Davidson University in North Carolina, USA said: “It looks like this is a very prosperous area because we have all the stone houses. build. ” Furthermore, the Mayans of Puuc built four major towns dating from the Middle Ages (700 BC to 450 BC) and population centers dating from 600 to 750 AD, during the Late Antiquity period. dictionary. While these structures were recorded, laser data analysis revealed that these Puuc communities had distinct city layouts that were not seen in other Maya regions. Researchers have known of the ancient Mayan settlements of Puuc since the 1840s, but there has never been a comprehensive survey of the area so far. By calculating with laser light, a software can create a detailed 3D topographic map of ancient Mayan civilization. Researchers spent about 20 years doing basic research in the Puuc region. Analysis of the lidar maps, which encompass about 237 square kilometers, revealed 7,900 housing quarters, including on the hills, indicating that the Puuc area with a large population was concentrated mainly on the Different communities, with a few in the hinterland of Puuc. Many of these residential structures still have stone veins marking different rooms – each house has about 2-3 rooms. These details suggest that Puuc may be one of the most densely populated areas in the Maya Lowlands, an area that includes parts of modern-day Mexico, Guatemala and Belize. Despite the densely populated, it seems that the people in Puuc mainly live in peace; the communities are quite close together – usually between 5 and 10 km, but there is no evidence of any defensive structure. “There are images of warriors on some of the sculptures, but it’s not to the point where people stop themselves from the neighbors,” the researchers said. Water reservoirs A densely populated area needs a lot of water, but Puuc, like the rest of Yucatan, is mostly on limestone, a porous rock. Since there was no water or river or lake, people had to find other ways to get it. Puuc is located on a hilly and raised area, making it above groundwater level. To solve this problem, the Mayans built “chultunes”, or tanks, that were lined with mortar to collect rainwater. The Mayans also built “aguadas”, or reservoirs, with long drainage channels. Lidar’s survey revealed that some of these channels were several hundred meters long. Terraces The lidar survey also revealed evidence of an intensive and widespread rock-producing industry, consisting of quarries and 1,232 circular stoves, potentially used to sinter sandstone so that produce lime, or calcium oxide. This lime is probably used as a construction mortar and to help soften corn. “When people down there cook corn, they usually soak it in lime the night before to soften it a bit, and then they will grind it,” says Ringle. Therefore, lime is an essential commodity, even at the household level. ” The number of stoves was a surprising revelation, Ringle added. They are everywhere. And that shows that it’s a sizable industry in Puuc. Other research has shown that these stoves can be operated using very little firewood. “It tells us that people probably had the raw materials pretty close at hand, even though they didn’t burn the entire forest,” Ringle said. The lidar image also showed the first clear evidence of the ladder at Puuc, actually all north of Yucatan. Although the area has hundreds of hills, only 8 hills are terraced fields for cultivation. This shows that this practice is not popular in Puuc. The ancient Maya civilization existed for more than 2,500 years, before the people mysteriously abandoned their city. There are many theories that explain why this happens. Stories are told that the Mayans mismanaged their landscape and this led to their own destruction. This new study is contrary evidence. The study was published online April 28 in the journal PLOS One.

7:00 am, we arrived at Cai Rong port (Van Don district), boarded a modern 2-hull boat straight to Co To. Only 65 minutes later, the ship cut off the waves to dock on the island. An area of ​​pearl island with white sand and blue sea, spacious roads make people feel like a corner of Nha Trang or Phu Quoc. Few people know that this place used to be a difficult area lacking hundreds of faces, even fresh water is also a luxury. The turning point came in 2013, the leaders of Quang Ninh province were determined to pull the power grid to the island, although the resources and technology were still limited at that time. Along with that is the construction of fresh water reservoirs. Having electricity and water has helped Co To’s economy “brighten”, people’s lives have been rapidly improved. Co To rose to become an attractive destination for tourists. ‘Bringing electricity to Co To island is strategic thinking’ Mr. Le Hung Son, Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of the People’s Committee of Co To district assessed that the project of bringing electricity to Co To island in 2013 was a great turning point, helping this island district to have great development. Co To is a pre-pepper island district of the country with 200 km of sea border stretching from Tran Island to Bach Long Vi archipelago of Hai Phong. The district has 50 islands, large and small, of which the largest is Co To island, about 50 km2 wide. The primeval forest here is preserved almost intact with hundreds of years old trees, tangled vines. Co To also owns 300 km2 of fishing grounds. The potential is that, but before 2010, the economy in Co To is almost underdeveloped due to limited infrastructure, especially the 3 shortages: lack of electricity, lack of fresh water and lack of ships to the island. Only over 50 nautical miles from Cai Rong and Van Don ports (more than 60 km), but in 2011, Co To was still very far away because only 2 wooden ships traveled for more than 3 hours to arrive. There is a lack of electricity on the island, especially fresh water in the dry season, so all services and tourism cannot be developed. Mr. Dao Van Vu, now Vice Chairman of the People’s Committee of Van Don district, who had more than 20 years of attachment to Co To, recalled the difficulties on the island: “There were times when I started from Cai Rong, but only 6 hours later to arrive. Because of the strong wind, the train had to go around to avoid the waves. When coming ashore, they must carry sandals, roll up their pants and wade ashore but do not have a wharf. The district has no grid electricity, the main source of electricity is 2 diesel-powered engines. One day only power supply until 20-21h is to be cut off. Because electricity is powered by generators, the cost is very high, 5,000-6,000 VND / kWh, homes using a lot of high stairs can reach 15,000-16,000 VND / kWh. Most houses only use electricity for lighting and fans for essential needs. The tourism industry is less developed due to difficult travel and modest accommodation conditions. There are almost no hotels in the whole district, mainly small motels. Even if guests want to use the air conditioner, they have to pay extra electricity with very expensive prices. There is only one old police force on the big island. Therefore, traveling and transporting passengers and goods is very difficult. In 2010, Co To welcomed less than 5,000 guests. By 2011-2012, although the engine was more equipped and had a larger capacity, the guests only reached about 30,000 visitors. Also because there is no electricity, the seafood caught on the sea is difficult to preserve, many fishermen have to sell directly at sea to the merchant boats from the mainland to buy at low prices, because bringing back to the island is also difficult to preserve. and there is no electricity for processing. In addition to lack of electricity, Co To also lacks fresh water. During the dry season, families have to divide each barrel of water. Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh, former Secretary of Co To island district in the period of 2010-2015, recalled: “When I went to the island to take office as the island district’s secretary and president, I and the district leaders also struggled to find solutions to overcome the power shortage. lack of water, lack of boats for people on the island, but until 2011 it is only possible to start the construction of freshwater reservoirs, while pulling electricity is too far away, never can do it ”. With that same lake, Mr. Thanh used to sign a “military status order” with the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee: “In August 2011, just a few days after he took office as Secretary of the Quang Ninh Provincial Party Committee, Mr. Pham Minh Chinh made a visit. Unofficially went to Co To money island district. Myself and a comrade drove the new Secretary to visit the island on the only pickup truck borrowed from the district police. When he saw that we were building the Truong Xuan freshwater lake, he asked how long the project would take, I said it took 3 years because of lack of capital. Then the Secretary asked: If the province prioritizes to allocate capital, can you do it in 1 year, do it quickly but must ensure the quality? I confirmed that I could do it, the Secretary immediately asked to write the commitment, I made 2 copies, 1 copy sent to the Provincial Party Committee and one sent to the Provincial People’s Committee. After supplementing capital and mobilizing labor, mechanical equipment, we put the lake into operation on time as committed, still operating well, is the largest source of fresh water on the island ”. Regarding electricity, Mr. Thanh said, at that time he reported to the Secretary the optimal plan is to pull cables, but with difficulties in technology and capital; If we make coal-fired power, we cannot develop tourism because it will be polluted for the whole island. “At that time, the Secretary did not make any decisions, we did not know if we could pull the cable to the island, because there has never been such a long submarine cable project in Vietnam,” said Thanh. A few weeks after the new Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee’s visit to Co To, Mr. Thanh was summoned to attend a meeting of Quang Ninh leadership chaired by Pham Minh Chinh Provincial Party Secretary, where a decision made 5,000 people. Co To island district is very happy: Pulling electricity by underground cable to the island. Mr. Thanh said at that time, the head of the party committee of Quang Ninh province told him: “We try to bring electricity to the island, to build a reservoir to take care of water for the people, then the enterprise will invest in a modern fleet. connect the island to the shore “. So, the three difficult things of Co To have been solved. Technically, to pull the grid to the island is a big challenge as the longest underground cable distance is 25 km (between island and island). Technology to pull electrical cables under the seabed was very new and almost nonexistent in Vietnam. To bury the cable, the engineering unit must use a robot to cut the rock, dig the surface of the seabed to a depth of about 1.5-2 m, then the divers lower the cable to the newly dug slot, then place a solid material. special coating to protect the underground cable bundle. Many people are skeptical about the safety and feasibility of towing the cable under the sea. Another problem is the huge cost of capital to pull out electricity, up to more than 1,000 billion dong. In 2011, the budget for development investment of the whole Quang Ninh was only about 6,000 billion VND, not too much for such a large project. The Northern Power Company cannot afford to do a big project, while the immediate business efficiency is not high. “There were many difficulties, but the Secretary and the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee at that time were determined to pull the power grid to the island. The difficulties in both finance and technology have been gradually removed with a drastic, urgent and detailed participation ”, recalled Mr. Nguyen Duc Thanh. Project scale includes more than 27.5 km of 2-circuit 110 kV transmission line; 22 km of 22 kV overhead transmission line; 23 km of underground cable line; 8 cutting stations 22 kV; 12 substations and 34 km of low voltage transmission lines. The 100 kV line sections are wired by a hot air balloon, while the average depth of the seabed to lower the underground cable is 29 m. At that time, the leaders of Quang Ninh province had a valuable decision to include fiber-optic Internet in the bundle of electrical cables, so now Co To has both grid electricity and broadband optical fiber lines. The project’s estimate is about VND 1,100 billion, of which the Northern Power Corporation will contribute VND 350 billion. The remaining amount in Quang Ninh is about 830 billion, mobilized by socialization and the provincial budget. Many Quang Ninh people cannot forget a very exciting and meaningful campaign to contribute: Contribute to the people to pull electricity out to Co To. Each civil servant in the whole province contributes 1 day of his salary. The province also calls on people, businesses, social organizations, even people from Quang Ninh who are far away from their hometown to contribute. The remainder is taken from the provincial budget. After 350 days of construction, in October 2013, the project of pulling the grid to Co To by underground cable was completed before the overwhelming joy of the people of Co To and the whole province of Quang Ninh. Many old people on the island shed tears when they see the light from the national grid on the island. Young people radiant eyes look at computer screens, phones with high-speed Internet connection, merging with the global flow of information. Along with electricity, Truong Xuan lake with a capacity of 170,000 m2 together with Lake C4, Ong Thanh, Ong Cu … is a strategic source of fresh water for Co To island district. Thus, in just a few years, Co To had both electricity from the grid, fresh water, an unprecedented change in this front-end island. Every morning, Co To wharf is busy with dozens of tram cars waiting to welcome guests, see off guests, and carry goods from ships connecting to the mainland. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung, owner of a 2-star hotel near the wharf, recalled that eight years ago, when Co To did not have electricity, he never dreamed that he could do it like today. After Co To got electricity, Hung finished building a small motel. The number of visitors to the island increased sharply this year and a half years ago, making his motel continuously expand. Anh Hung is now the owner of a 2-star hotel with nearly 60 rooms, a few more electric cars to pick up guests. Mr. Nguyen Toan, manager of Tuan Vu Hotel on Co To Island recalled in 2013, when the owners on the mainland poured hundreds of billions to build a 3-star hotel on the island, many relatives and friends were discouraged. and said “crazy”. Someone said Co To at that time was both difficult and difficult to come by. When we invested so much money, we knew when we could recover our capital. However, with the love of the sea and islands and seeing the potential for development, the owner is still determined with his plan. And the sweet fruit has come to the summer tourism season in 2014. The hotel is always in a full room with many large groups of guests. The investor initially expected 12-15 years to break even, but so far has been able to recover the capital in 8-9 years. Since the electricity came on, the number of visitors to Co To skyrocketed. From 35,000 turns in 2012, in 2019 (before the translation of Covid-19), Co To received nearly 300,000 visitors, nearly 10 times higher than before. When electricity is available, many people also have conditions to invest in accommodation, food, and services to provide tourists. On the contrary, as the service develops, more tourists come to Co To. Currently, traveling from the mainland to Co To is very convenient with many trains going and arriving during the day. There was even a 5-star standard train running the Cai Rong – Co To route which traveled less than 60 minutes, can be used in the wind situation of level 7, carrying 850 passengers / trip at the same time. On the island, there are 300 electric cars to serve tourists, nearly 200 accommodation establishments, nearly 2,500 rooms, 51 homestays … Up to now, Co To can welcome 10,000 tourists at the same time. Tourism revenue from 50 billion in 2013 to reach 700 billion in 2019. With electricity and water available, the processing industry also developed. People can invest in means, catch seafood and then return to deep processing on the spot to sell at high prices. The Secretary of the District Party Committee, Chairman of District People’s Committee Co To Le Hung Son said that the most important thing when having electricity and water is to help improve people’s lives in all aspects, the economy can achieve important developments. The average income of Co To people reached 4,500 USD / year, higher than the national average of more than 1,000 USD. “Improving people’s lives and economic development is also a measure to maintain security and national defense in the country’s pre-emptive and anti-dumping islands,” said Mr. Son. Mr. Thanh said that the success of Co To today is a clear proof to see the vision and determination of the provincial leaders before. Mr. Le Hung Son said that in the future, Co To strives to become stronger, and welcomes 1.6 million visitors by 2030. The island will also focus on attracting large investors, bringing tourism to development. larger, with more premium products to increase the spending per visitor. She also wished that in the near future, she would be approved with the policy of building a small airport, serving tourism and national security, avoiding obstacles caused by weather and climate change. “Past generations of leaders have created a foundation for fundamental change in Co To island district. We want to continue to grow, making Co To become an indispensable destination for tourists ”, Mr. Son said.

The talented Hungarian architect Tamás Bene has designed a lovely boat house for a young couple from Budapest. The boat house is originally a local fishing boat, anchored at Lake Tisza – an artificial reservoir located in a 7,000-hectare nature reserve, home to wildlife including more than 100 species of birds together. The ship is made of two main materials, aluminum and treated wood. When going into practice, the designer develops the idea based on the needs and wants of the couple. And the most important thing is to design boats in harmony with nature and in harmony with the surrounding environment. To get as close to nature as possible, the boat has a large panoramic window, sliding doors that create a seamless connection to the starboard deck. The interior uses red wood and heat-resistant wood, including a kitchen, dining room with two benches and a table. At night, the table can be lowered by chair to form a unique, space-saving and multi-purpose bed. Each object placed on the boat has its own implications, not redundant by small, narrow space. The boat house also has two roof-mounted solar panels that power electrical appliances, including front and rear headlights, lights, and a small refrigerator. “Drinking water is taken from a 20 liter bottle and can be delivered to the tap with a foot operated pump, so no electricity is needed,” explained the architect. The boat itself is powered by a combustion engine with a capacity of 9.9 horsepower, allowing the operator to navigate around the shallow, winding canals of Lake Tisza./.

At the meeting above, the representative of the World Investment Fund Joint Stock Company summarized the outline of the master plan for tourism development in Quynh Nhai district. Specifically, the outline has proposed a solution for planning the exploitation of Quynh Nhai tourism development with a focus on the Son La hydropower reservoir area, creating a high-class community-based eco-tourism area in Son La province. with many types of tourism and class services, focusing on exploiting typical space, long-standing cultural values, creating a unique identity that attracts tourists, becoming an attractive tourist center. attracting domestic and international tourists. Also according to this outline, the scope of the project formulation includes the entire water surface of the Son La hydropower reservoir in Quynh Nhai district, 10,520 ha wide and the ground area surrounding the lake bed, including islands, The peninsula lies on the lake bed from Pa Ma Pha Khinh commune to Muong Chien commune. In which, the proposed investment scope is a water surface area of ​​about 3,000 ha and a ground area of ​​about 500 ha. Representing the leaders of Son La province at the meeting with the World Investment Fund Joint Stock Company In addition, with its intrinsic strengths, Quynh Nhai district is oriented to invest in becoming a tourist area of ​​the “5-star” hydroelectric lake bed with majestic natural beauty, meeting top standards and world-class luxury. It is expected to gather entertainment areas with modern scale and leading trends in the world, including zoological park planning … towards being recognized as an amusement park. top of Asia. At the same time, the outline also mentions the planning of a complex lake-bed resort with many types of services such as golf courses, resort services, hot spring baths, adventure games, movies. School … Estimated, the total investment value in this project is up to 3,000 billion VND with the goal of making the lake-bed tourist area become a tourist destination praised by the world community as one of the most beautiful destinations in the world. gender. Thereby helping Vietnam tourism rank up in the international arena and contribute to making Vietnam an attractive destination for the elite and international stars. Responding to the outline of the World Investment Fund Joint Stock Company, Mr. Pham Van Thuy – Vice Chairman of Son La province welcomed the investor’s idea of ​​developing Quynh Nhai hydropower reservoir tourism, evaluating the idea. the above is “new, attractive and consistent with the province’s policy in tourism development”. Along with that, the representative of the leadership of Son La province assigned the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism to advise the Provincial People’s Committee to soon have a document to register with the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to develop a tourism development plan for Son La hydropower reservoir to become a national tourist area. Mr. Pham Van Thuy emphasized that the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism is the focal point along with relevant departments and agencies and Quynh Nhai district closely coordinating with investors, studying and guiding the procedures to ensure the correct implementation steps. procedure. Quynh Nhai District, Son La Province, with a focus on the Son La hydropower reservoir, is expected to become a leading tourist attraction in the country and the world. The leaders of Son La province also set the expectation to make Quynh Nhai district – a northern mountainous district of this situation become a bright spot to attract tourists when possessing a lot of potential for natural tourism (Pa Uon bridge has a high head). most in Vietnam with a total length of 1,418m; pristine cave system with different geological structure that has never been announced or exploited …), minerals for tourism (hot springs have abundant water can be exploited into hot mineral springs …), spiritual tourism (Temple of Linh Son – Thuy Tu and Nang Han ..), cultural and social tourism (historical sites of Pac Ma banyan tree, Thai villages white riverside Da river, shampoo festival of Thai ethnic group …) and especially lake-bed tourism. Accordingly, Son La hydropower reservoir bed has majestic natural landscape, multi-ethnic and multicultural population … On the other hand, this site is located in the Northwest triangle area connecting the two points of Lao Cai and Dien Bien. creating a diversified tourist population. Regarding geographical location, Quynh Nhai district is located in the northernmost part of Son La province, with the Da river flowing through and most of Son La hydropower lake is located in the district. The district center is 60 km north of Son La city. This place is known as “Ha Long Bay on the mountain” because of its beauty as a water-based painting in the mountains and forests of the Northwest: with a population of islands, caves and primeval forests hidden deep in the mountains.

Nuoc Dop residential area is located on a hill on the other side of Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir. This is an area not included in the hydropower project, but the people of Nuoc Dop are indirectly affected by this project.

Tired of waiting for the way

We have returned to the Kingdom many times by different routes. For the first time on December 31, 2014, after one day, hydroelectricity was put into operation, to write the article “Dakdrr hydropower accumulation of water: Locking people in high mountains”. At that time, we rented boats, crossed the vast lake bed with more than 11 million cubic meters of water. Both going and going back took nearly 3 hours, with a price of 500 thousand VND.

Residents of Nuoc Dop residential area, Ra Manh village, Son Long commune (Son Tay) open their own “waterways” across the Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir to travel. Photo: Th. Nhi

Immediately after the press was published, the local government held an urgent meeting, immediately mobilizing the youth force of Son Tay district and Son Long commune to open a dirt road to make a passageway for the people of Nuoc Dop to go from the village to the middle communal mind. The road construction project was then urgently implemented, with a total length of 7.8 km, a total cost of more than 17 billion VND from the budget source. However, due to the design and other shortcomings, the project was stopped.

In 2018, the project of making this route restart. The total length is still the same, but the total cost increases to 30 billion VND, from the funding source of Dakdrinh Hydropower investor. Also since here, the Son Tay district government has to constantly go “debt collection” to have money for road construction. However, that road is still unfinished, even in many sections, it is even more difficult to go than the first day I crossed the lake bed, followed the path to return to this upland people.

Recently, we returned to the Kingdom. A 7.8km road can only make about 3.5km of the beginning of the route. The most important stretch of road is longer than 4km at the end of the route, that is, adjacent to residential areas, it is still sprawling with rocks, deep pools and steep slopes. Due to the difficulty of having no way to travel, the people of Nuoc Dop set up a wharf at the junction of the village adjacent to the Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir and named it “Ben Ra Manh”.

We arrived at Ra Manh wharf, Mr. Dinh Van Nghe thought that tourists would go on a trip, so he enthusiastically invited the boat to go to the lake for a walk. Mr. Nghiep said: This boat is the means of transportation of the whole village, carrying acacia, carrying the harvested noodles around the lake bed and on the rising hills between the hydroelectric lake. The investor of hydroelectricity only recovers the land at the foot of the hill, the rest of the people still grow acacia. Have to swim across the lake bed to clear grass, plant trees, then go sawing, taking boats to the shore. The small boat, piled with dozens of acacia trees, rowing all day to come ashore, but there is no other way.

Road to Nuoc Dop residential area. Photo: Th. Nhi

Bringing the story of persistent debt shortage to the leader of Dakdrinh Hydropower Joint Stock Company, Director of Dam Duc Thong Company said: “Hydropower is willing to pay for road construction, but until now, it has only paid about 17 billion, 13 billion more in debt. The reason is that the district has not completed the documents to be able to disburse it “. The file that this director explained is the final settlement of the project, that is, the district must complete, accept, hand over, then transfer the dossier to hydroelectricity for consideration and disbursement. However, on the side of the unit authorized to implement the Nuoc Dop road project, which is the Management Board of Construction Investment and Development of Land Funds in Son Tay District, said that if the capital is not arranged in advance, it will be very difficult for construction. Therefore, we hope that hydroelectricity will consider and make capital investments to make this road more flexible, because the longer it lasts, the more difficult people’s lives.

The electricity was creeping

For many generations, more than 100 people in Nuoc Dop residential area have not had access to the national electricity grid. For many years, Son Tay district has invested money to bring electricity to Nuoc Dop, but for many reasons, the project has not energized yet.

Residents of Nuoc Dop residential areas harvested the noodles and waited many days for traders to come and buy them. Photo: Th. Nhi

In Nuoc Dop, the medium voltage poles rise high, the wire is ready, but waiting to complete some procedures before it can be energized and supplied to households. Because it is too difficult when the life has no electricity, the people of Nuoc Dop residential area pay their own money to buy wires and pull electricity thanks to acquaintances from other KDC. Long distance, small wires, weak electricity, electric lights creeping not much brighter than kerosene lamps. “I hope to have electricity to light up for my children to study, watch television and listen to the radio to enjoy. Now I use electricity thanks to the time I lose. I don’t have electricity in my village,” said the village elder, Dinh Van Xon.

Because pulling electricity far away, the cost of pulling electricity back to the village is up to 4-5 million VND. Someone has to borrow hot money to get money to pull electricity. The electric lines like forest wires tangled in the pillars are actually dry acacia tops, low and low, with a section just at the knee. “I know that it is not allowed to connect electricity like that, but the family needs electricity very much before having to do so. I only hope that electricity can be brought back to the people on a large pole, a large wire for people to be assured to use. With electricity, a new life will be required. less suffering “, Ms. Dinh Thi Un confided.

It is difficult to pull electricity back to Nuoc Dop residential area because partly there is no road. When implementing road investment here, the district has planned to implement the road in parallel. However, the road project just kept sluggish and electricity so was also slow to follow.

When will the promise come true?

The day we got back to Dop, it was on the day when a truck came to buy noodles for the people. Dozens of households in Dop were very happy. Before Tet, the constant rain and flood, the noodles were left on the field. After Tet, when it was sunny, people harvested, bagged, carried them down the road, sent people to the center of Son Tay district to call people to buy. 3 days new car appointment The whole village rushed to pick it up, put the noodles in the car, laughed loudly. There are many people who divide the money to sell noodles into each item: pay for electricity, buy rice, give their children money to go to the district to go to boarding school, buy acacia seed to grow … All essential expenses of life. “Luckily, we can sell noodles, but if we can’t sell, we go” hot “to take care of our family but know how,” said Dinh Thi Xang.

The people of Nuoc Dop residential area plant and care for the areca tree. Photo: Th. Nhi

Also because there is no sugar, the agricultural products in Dop are sold at a much cheaper price than other places. Currently, the purchasing price of Acacia wood here is only about 600-700 thousand VND, which is about 200,000 VND / ton cheaper than the convenient roads. Difficult, low income, but here people do not have side jobs. Chairman of Son Long Commune People’s Committee Do Thanh Qua said: All households in Nuoc Dop are poor. In recent years, life has been more difficult due to the fall in agricultural prices. There are times when there are storms, traffic is divided, agricultural products cannot be sold. The commune hopes that the superiors will quickly build the road and bring electricity back to Nuoc Dop residential area so that the people can improve their living conditions and gradually reduce poverty “.

Now Dop is in a raging season for acacia cultivation. On the green acacia hills, groups of 5-10 people work hard to clean up. In Nuoc Dop, people still keep the same “rhyme” as in the past. Every family has important work, everyone in the village who is free will come to help. They help each other as wholeheartedly as family members. Therefore, despite the difficult life, the roads are back, electricity has not come back forever, but no one left the village to go elsewhere. The special thing is that the village has no evils of gambling, theft … And for many years, they have been united, sharing with all difficulties of the government, the investor of Dakdrinh hydroelectricity and patiently. waiting for a promise …