China- Laos cooperation helps villagers move ahead

VIENTIANE, Laos — About 200 kilometers southeast of the Lao capital of Vientiane sits a busy hydropower plant construction site.

This is the place where Khamla Mounmanivong, a local villager, sees hope for a better life.

The Nam Theun 1 Hydropower plant, which has drawn investment from Laos and Thailand, is contracted by the PowerChina Sinohydro Bureau 3 Co, Ltd ( Sinohydro 3), a Chinese engineering company.

Khamla, 31, has been working at the construction site with Sinohydro 3 for more than half a year.

“It is a project that can promote the development of my hometown, and I want to contribute to it,” he said.

Khamla is the only son in his family. He has five sisters. He is the major breadwinner and since winning the opportunity to work with Sinohydro 3, his life has improved a lot.

“I am preparing to build my own new house, right next to my parents’ house. This project provides local people with many job opportunities and at the same time promotes investment in infrastructure in Laos,” he said.

In Laos’ Borikhamxay Province, the construction of the 650- MW Nam Theun 1 Hydropower Plant on a tributary of the Mekong river is progressing smoothly.

Vanphen Vongnalin, head of the Nakheua village where the power station is located, has experience in auto repair and now works as a maintenance man at Sinohydro 3.

‘ Learning skills’

“I am very happy to be a member of the company. The company has created income for Lao employees,” he said. “You can also get in touch with new things at work and learn a lot of technology and equipment skills brought in by the company.”

More than 1,000 villagers work at the construction site, according to the village head.

The Hongshi cement plant, a Chinese- invested business, is located some 100 km north of Vientiane in a hilly area. The plant not only uses ecofriendly technologies, but also makes an effort to help improve the lives of local people.

“We used to pay to cross the nearby river by boat to go to Vientiane. The Hongshi company built roads and bridges for us for free, bringing much convenience,” said Hae Kongphaly, head of the village where the cement plant is located.

Noting that in the past, people in the village mainly engaged in farming and many of them lived in poverty, Hae Kongphaly said since the Hongshi cement plant was built in 2016, the income of the villagers gradually increased with their active participation in the factory’s construction.

“Life has been becoming better, and more new houses have been built, all because of the coming of Hongshi,” the village head said.

Ken Xaiyavong, 53, runs a gasoline station near the Hongshi cement plant. “The gas station was built when the Hongshi cement plant opened, and the business here is very good,” he said.