From lighting up villages to connecting people with information
For 33-year-old Ly Thi May, a resident of Sung Cho Hamlet in Thang Mo Commune, using a smartphone to join the village’s Zalo group was something few people had previously imagined. Since electricity and mobile coverage reached the area in late 2025, she has received guidance from local authorities and the village head on using the Internet and discussing community matters through digital platforms.
“Since we got electricity and mobile signals, I have been able to access the Internet at home and communicate with others more conveniently. Now, everyone in my family is learning how to use social media and digital platforms. Those who learn first show others how to use them. The Internet has opened a new door for people in our village,” May said.
May’s experience reflects a change taking place in areas that previously faced significant infrastructure constraints. With the arrival of the national power grid and telecommunications coverage, residents have better access to information, can communicate about work and are gradually becoming familiar with online services. Smartphones are no longer used solely for communication but can also support learning, help people find information about production and provide access to essential services.
In Nhia Lung Phin Hamlet, now known as Thai Phin Tung Hamlet, village head Sung Mi No said residents’ lives had changed considerably since electricity and mobile phone coverage became available. Previously, all 92 households in the hamlet had no access to electricity, and many household tasks had to be carried out manually. Now, families can use electrical appliances for their daily needs, and many have bought televisions to watch the news and keep up to date with information.
Giang Thi Say, a local resident, said her family had bought light bulbs, a television and a grass-cutting machine after electricity reached the hamlet. Household chores can now be completed more quickly, giving her more time to care for her children. In the evenings, family members can gather and talk under electric lights.
According to Sung Mi No, residents have also learned to use social media to set up Zalo groups for coordinating community activities. Women's and farmers' associations have their own groups for exchanging information, making communication more convenient.
From changes within individual households to new ways of communicating across the community, electricity and telecommunications coverage are enabling people in mountainous areas to gradually integrate into the digital environment. However, connectivity is only the first step. For technology to become genuinely useful, residents need guidance on using digital platforms, identifying unreliable information and protecting themselves against risks in cyberspace.
From accessing technology to becoming digital citizens
In Sung Cho Hamlet, efforts to familiarise residents with technology have begun with activities closely linked to their everyday lives. Village head Sung Mi Ly said that 62 households previously had no access to the national power grid. Since electricity and telecommunications coverage became available, residents have begun searching for information online. Local authorities have also guided them in making digital payments, using online public services and recognising online scams.
This approach shows that digital transformation in mountainous areas cannot stop at providing equipment or expanding network coverage. Residents need step-by-step guidance, from basic smartphone operations to using services that support daily life, production and administrative procedures.
Sung Thi My, head of the Women's Union branch in Sung Cho Hamlet, said training sessions held during village meetings were combined with efforts to encourage members to become advocates within their families. Those who are familiar with technology guide those who are not; younger family members help their grandparents and parents use smartphones, online public services and digital payment methods, while also sharing online safety skills.
When technology is explained through specific situations related to people's practical needs, they have greater motivation to continue learning and using it over the long term.
Beyond communication, digital platforms also create opportunities to promote local products and goods. According to Cu Minh Long, Chairman of the Thang Mo Commune People's Committee, the locality is helping residents apply technology to production and business activities, and promote and sell their products through e-commerce platforms and social media. In the coming period, the commune will step up training in online business skills, cashless payments and the use of online public services.
To turn these goals into tangible results, guidance for residents must be linked to practical needs, such as accessing market information, promoting products, communicating about work, completing administrative procedures and using essential services. At the same time, greater attention should be paid to skills for identifying scams, protecting personal information and verifying online information, enabling residents to use technology more safely.
It is clear that eliminating areas without access to electricity has helped create the conditions for telecommunications infrastructure to operate and expand connectivity in disadvantaged areas. According to Tran Xuan Hao, Deputy Director of Tuyen Quang Power Company, the company considers this an important task in addressing infrastructure bottlenecks and ensuring that residents in remote areas have access to information and public services, thereby supporting the operation of the two-tier local administration model.
The company's leadership and Party Committee have directed all units to work together to eliminate areas without electricity, with the highest sense of responsibility. Under normal circumstances, extending the power grid to many remote and particularly disadvantaged areas would be almost impossible. However, recognising this as a particularly important political task, the company mobilised resources with urgency, discipline and determination to overcome difficulties and fulfil the assignment entrusted by the Party and the Government.
Thanks to this strong sense of responsibility and the concerted efforts of the entire system, all 24 areas without electricity in Tuyen Quang Province had been connected to the power grid by December 15, 2025. Many residents aged over 70 in remote villages and hamlets witnessed electric lighting for the first time, gaining a tangible sense of the attention and care shown by the Party and State towards people in remote areas. Through these efforts to eliminate areas without electricity, Viet Nam Electricity (EVN) fulfilled its task of bringing electricity to 129 villages and hamlets on December 15, 2025, 15 days ahead of schedule.
By the end of 2025, all communes nationwide had access to electricity, while 99.85% of households had electricity and 99.77% of rural households had access to electricity.
