Some children have even had to stay in temporary huts on the other side of the river to avoid making the daily crossing, as their parents fear they could drown on the way to school.

“Some years, floodwaters rise and sweep the rafts away, leaving villagers stranded and students unable to attend school for long periods,” Dang Thu Huyen, head of Quy Hoa Commune’s Khuoi Man Village, recalled.

“Sometimes people cannot even buy food or drinking water."

According to Huyen, the locality has no road access other than crossing the Bac Giang River.

The river has also witnessed several tragic drowning incidents, including a married couple who were swept away and killed while returning home from a market.

“People here only hope for a bridge or a solid low-water crossing so they can travel, work, and send their children to school more safely,” Huyen said.

About a 20-minute drive from Khuoi Man, Na Keo Village in the same commune also struggles with isolation.

The village is home to 116 households and 548 residents, most of whom belong to ethnic minority groups.

Locals jokingly call it the 'three no’s' village: no phone signal, no clean water, and no Internet access.

“In this signal dead zone, whenever we need to hold community meetings or communicate official notices, I have to go door to door,” said Hoang Van Chieu, head of Na Keo Village.

“Even text messages sometimes take two or three days to reach residents."

Every year from around April to November, bamboo and wooden bridges built by villagers are swept away by strong currents, leaving the village with 'one more no': no roads.

“At present, the village is connected to the outside only by a suspension bridge that accommodates motorbikes,” Chieu said.

“Residents desperately hope for a permanent bridge so agricultural trade can continue smoothly during harvest seasons, especially since most families rely on forest products and grow cinnamon and acacia trees.”

Commune seeks funding for low-water crossing

Be Van Ly, chairman of the Quy Hoa Commune People’s Committee, said the commune is largely mountainous, with many residential areas separated by the Bac Giang River and streams.

“For example, residents and young students in Song Phu area of Khuoi Man Village and Na Chon area are still traveling by makeshift bamboo rafts, which pose serious dangers, especially during the rainy and flood seasons,” Ly said.

“In the past five years alone, there have been four fatal accidents."

According to local authorities, the commune has surveyed plans to build a low-water crossing over the Bac Giang River to reconnect isolated communities, improve transportation and trade, and ensure safer journeys to school for students.

The estimated cost of the project is around VND5 billion (US$189,836), significantly cheaper than constructing a 90-meter bridge estimated at VND40 billion ($1.5 million), and more practical than a suspension bridge, which cannot support the transport of agricultural goods.

However, the commune’s financial resources remain limited.

Aside from provincial state budget allocations, the commune has no additional revenue sources.

In 2026, for example, the commune was allocated VND2.6 billion ($98,714) in investment capital, most of which has already been prioritized for rural roads, irrigation works, and essential school infrastructure.

"The People's Committee of the commune hopes that the People's Committee of Lang Son Province and benefactors will pay attention and help with resources to build a new low-water crossing, helping residents travel more safely, especially during the rainy season,” Ly said.

“For now, the Party Committee and local authorities have assigned specialized departments and the police to raise awareness about safety and provide life jackets for crossing the river."