Cargo shipments on shoulders
Lan Nong residential area, Loi village, is isolated in a valley, about 8 km from the center of Cai Kinh commune. This place has 13 households with 62 people, including 11 poor households and 2 near-poor households.
Previously, to enter Lan Nong, people had to walk through the forest, crossing dangerous rocky mountain sections. The residential area was once known for the image of "3 no's": no solid roads, no electricity and no phone signal.
Mr. Pham Van Tinh, a resident of Lan Nong area, recalled the old road being narrow, with many steep passes, often landslides or flooding. People mainly grow corn and peanuts on the mountainside.
To get to Lan Nong, people have to walk through forests, cross rocky mountains. In the harvest season, people have to carry corn, carry peanuts to walk out to sell," Mr. Tinh shared.
In April 2025, with the support of the community, people contributed labor to build a temporary road across the mountainside for motorbikes to pass through. However, the road has not fundamentally solved the situation of isolation, especially when it rains heavily.
At the end of 2025, Chairman of Lang Son Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Canh Toan and departments and branches came to survey. After the trip, the province coordinated with the Military Region 1 Command to deploy the construction of roads for cars to Lan Nong, and at the same time bring electricity, phone signals and the Internet to the people.
The road opens up new plans
After more than 5 months of construction, the concrete road, about 2.7 km long, 3 m wide, 18 cm thick, was completed. The total implementation cost is more than 12 billion VND, along with labor costs of people and materials supported by businesses and units.
To open the road, the Provincial Military Command coordinated with Division 3, Engineer Brigade 575, authorities and people to level more than 8,300 m3 of soil and rocks; drilled and dynamited 4 sections of nearly 1 km long pass, and treated more than 6,600 m3 of soil and rocks.
On August 12, the road was inaugurated and handed over to the locality.
Standing on the new road surface, Mr. Tinh said that people are excited because cars can enter residential areas, and transporting agricultural products is more convenient. The road also opens up opportunities to welcome tourists and sell local products, something people have been waiting for for many years.
At the beginning of February 2026, Viettel Lang Son towed Internet cables to each household, installed broadcasting stations and 4G coverage. Lang Son Power Company also completed 4 solar power clusters, with a total investment of more than 2 billion VND.
Lan Nong is located in the core area of UNESCO Lang Son Global Geopark, still retaining its natural landscape and peaceful space. Currently, the residential area has 5 households participating in homestay development, of which 2 households have basically completed facilities.
The locality is implementing the "Geological Trail: Journey to Net Zero Lan Nong Tourist Village" route, installing guideboards, check-in points and service items for tourists. People are expected to have more livelihoods from accommodation, eating, experiencing and selling agricultural products.
At the inauguration ceremony, Secretary of Lang Son Provincial Party Committee Hoang Quoc Khanh hoped that people would continue to unite, proactively produce, increase income, protect and effectively exploit the project.
He proposed that the locality gradually build Lan Nong into a Net Zero tourist village, linking tourism with nature conservation and preserving cultural identity.
From a place that once suffered "3 no's", Lan Nong now has concrete roads, solar power and 4G waves.
For Mr. Tinh and the remaining 61 people, the new road not only shortens the geographical distance but also opens up hope for a more favorable life in the mountainous region of Lang Son.
