[Solar Power and Firewood] Hankkuok

1.85 Billion Won Worth of Scrap 'K-Solar Power' Left Abandoned
Visiting the ODA Site in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam

[Summary of previous article] Ban Rao Con, located in Dong Hoi, central-northern Vietnam, is a 1 hour and 30 minutes drive away. On the 10th, the press visited this village. It is home to 64 households of the ethnic minority group ‘Van Kieu’. Nguyen Thi Anh (49) said that although solar power facilities were installed in 2016, they all broke down within a year. All 10 solar power devices installed in the village were non-functional. Residents used the solar panels as roofs and drying racks for laundry. The press found ‘made in Korea’ on the solar connection box.

Ho Thi Dam from Ban Lao Kon village, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, is laughing heartily while sharing her life story. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

"Han Quoc?"

Ho Thi Dam (65) clapped her hands and came out of the room when she heard that the press had come from Korea. She adjusted her headscarf while looking in the mirror. She wrapped a shawl around her waist. Wearing slippers, she came out and immediately held the press’s hands. She said “Han Quoc?” and then laughed heartily. Fan-shaped wrinkles appeared at the corners of her eyes.

‘Han Quoc’ is the Vietnamese word for Korea.

Ho Thi Dam cannot read. However, she said she heard the solar power facility workers say ‘Han Quoc’ in 2016.

"It was an extremely hot day. They were sweating profusely while moving the equipment."

"I asked which country was building it, and they said Han Quoc. I wanted to give them water... but they seemed busy, so I couldn’t."

Mr. Ho Thi Dam from Ban Lao Kon village and her husband are sitting side by side on the porch, smiling. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Ho Thi Dam used electricity for the first time in her life at that time.

"How did you feel then?"

"It was good!"

"What was so good about it?"

"I’m telling you, it was really good!"

She laughed heartily and spread her arms wide to show.

Ho Thi Dam from Ban Lao Kon village, Quang Binh Province, Vietnam, is laughing while talking in front of the solar power generator installed in her backyard. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

Thanks to the solar power generator, light began to come into the village.

They bought fans and karaoke machines. Families gathered closely to watch dramas and news. For people living only in mountainous areas without access to the national power grid, it was their first experience in life.

"Back then, the whole village was lively. Singing and laughing."

But the village went dark in less than a year.

The only light source in Ho Thi Dam’s house is a headband lamp. It uses three AA batteries. She wears the lamp on her forehead to prepare food and clean inside the house. Her husband also eats while wearing a headlamp.

About six months after the solar power was installed, Ho Thi Dam told her son she wanted to buy a television. Her son went to the city 1 hour and 30 minutes away and bought a TV for 1 million dong (about 50,000 won). The moment the wires were connected, there was a ‘buzz’ sound. The house went dark. Since then, the solar power generator has never worked even once.

"I will never know how people outside this village live. I was curious, you know."

In just over a year since 2016, the 10 solar power generators in Ban Rao Con village stopped working one by one. The batteries connected to the panels were taken away by the installation company. Outsiders came and resold them. The residents did not know the reason. No one came to fix them. Then COVID-19 started.

The village became dark after 4 p.m. Ho Thi Nhung (19), who lives next door to Ho Thi Dam, was bitten by a snake while walking in the dark alley at night. Her friend Ho Thi Hong (14) suffered burns from a kerosene lamp. She showed her middle finger with a scar that remained like a lump.

Ho Thi Hong, who has scars on her hand from burns caused by petroleum and other substances. Photo by Huh Younghan younghan@

The elementary school situation was no different. There were no fluorescent lights or bulbs on the classroom ceiling. The weather decided whether they could study that day. Although there was a solar power generator installed by Korea, it had stopped working. The metal box where equipment should have been stored was filled with firewood. The firewood was to prevent the wood from getting wet in the rain. The space where renewable energy was installed was filled with wood, the oldest fuel used in human history.

The Quang Binh Province solar power project is a loan project funded by Korean taxpayers’ money amounting to 12 million dollars (about 18.5 billion won). The Vietnamese government also spent 2 million dollars (about 270 million won). The annual interest rate is 0.05%, with a grace period of 40 years. Although it is a loan, the repayment period is long and the interest rate is low, so the grant rate (an indicator showing the degree of free aid) is 87%. The Export-Import Bank of Korea decided to support it in 2011. The construction company was selected as the Korean company KT. KT subcontracted to Vietnamese companies. The project started in January 2015, equipment was installed by April 2018, and maintenance ended in September 2019.

Solar power panels installed at Ban Lao Kon Village School in Quang Binh Province, Vietnam. The batteries are gone, and firewood is piled up in the battery box. Photo by Younghan Heo younghan@

However, the villagers said that all equipment broke down within less than a year after the solar power plant was installed in 2016.

Why do the villagers’ and Korean government’s statements differ?

The press decided to meet the Vietnamese companies that built the solar power system.

They turned the car around in Ban Rao Con village. They descended the mountain slope for 30 minutes. The data reception bars increased. The accumulated messages arrived. Leaving behind the chain of notifications ringing, they searched Google for local companies listed in official documents from the Quang Binh Provincial People’s Committee.

‘No search results’

Companies A and B did not appear.

‘Route, call, save, share’

"Here is company information. Let’s go this way,"

the interpreter said.

It was one and a half hours to the city. The companies might not meet the press. They might have gone out of business.

■Infographic page■

Solar Power and Firewood - Report from Ban Rao Con, Vietnam

(story.asiae.co.kr/vietnam)

What problems arise from splitting aid budgets?

(story.asiae.co.kr/ODA)

[Solar Power and Firewood] It ended in divorce because of Korea continues

This project was supported by the Press Promotion Fund, funded by government advertising fees.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.