For years, the residents of the Canal No. 50 hamlet in Can Gio outlying district’s Thieng Lieng Island have awaited the connection to the national grid. Some 25 households in the island got delighted as their patience has finally been rewarded. The Lunar New Year is approaching, the arrival of electricity has meant that local inhabitants will experience a significant improvement in quality of life.
The Canal No. 50 area in Thieng Lieng hamlet has 25 households living along the canal and far from the residential area of Thieng Lieng hamlet. People's living conditions are still difficult as most of them are still struggling to earn a living by making salt and raising small-scale aquaculture spontaneously. People use boats and canoes to move in small streams and rivers.
Prior to the recent grid connection, a limited number of households received electricity through solar energy systems provided by Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation. The remaining households were dependent on generators to satisfy their need of energy.
These days, salt farmer Le Van Nai in Canal No. 50 and his children are busy buying electric wires and light bulbs. Everyone was excited to discuss buying fans and refrigerators to serve their daily needs that they had always dreamed of. For more than three decades of making salt, Mr. Nai never thought that one day the national grid would come to this remote area.
Elsewhere in the island, resident Ta Van Chi is overjoyed as he has awaited the arrival of grid electricity to his home. Anticipating the event, he promptly purchased the necessary equipment in preparation for its arrival.
Director of Duyen Hai Power Company Nguyen Quang Thi said that Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation brought the national grid across the river to Thanh An island commune since 2015; however, Thanh An Commune was officially recognized by the Prime Minister as an island commune of Can Gio suburban district in 2021.
The Director added that the company was assigned to work with local authorities and responsible agencies to implement the project in 2022. The project started on November 9, 2024 and was completed on January 15, 2025. The project to develop the power grid in the Canal 50 area has a total investment of more than VND 8.3 billion (US$328,452).
Ho Chi Minh City successfully completes underground power grid project in Thanh An Island Commune
Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation has successfully completed the underground power grid project in Thanh An Island Commune of Can Gio District, marking a significant milestone in the city's electrification efforts. The project, which involved the installation of 10 kilometers of low-voltage main line wires and over 17 kilometers of power cables, required an investment of nearly VND 30.2 billion. This achievement makes Thanh An Island Commune the first island commune in Vietnam to boast an entirely underground power grid. The extension of the national grid to Thieng Lieng Island hamlet in 2016 was a crucial step towards this significant achievement.
