The unique waterwheel in Vu Quang commune.

(Baohatinh.vn) - Amidst modern life, the waterwheels in Vu Quang commune (Ha Tinh province) seem to preserve the memories of the countryside and demonstrate the creativity of the people in labor and production.

Báo Hà Tĩnh•24/12/2025

Waterwheels are commonly used in the highlands of Northwest Vietnam or the western part of Thanh Hoa province. However, right here in Quang Tho village, Vu Quang commune, people also use these waterwheels to bring water to their fields, demonstrating folk wisdom in agricultural production and becoming a distinctive feature of the mountainous region.

Water wheel in Hamlet 1, Vu Quang Commune

The family of Mr. Dinh Xuan Dieu, residing in Hamlet 1, Quang Tho, Vu Quang Commune, cultivates 3 sao (approximately 0.3 hectares) of rice fields in the Dong Cua area. This area is higher than the stream and is not connected to the water supply system from reservoirs or irrigation works, making it very difficult to secure a reliable water source for production. Therefore, every time the planting season begins, Mr. Dieu's family builds a water wheel to bring water from the stream to their fields. According to Mr. Dieu, the practice of building water wheels has been passed down through generations in his family and the local community.

A waterwheel consists of a large wheel with bamboo tubes attached around the rim, placed in streams with a strong current.

Village 1 Quang Tho, Vu Quang commune, has nearly 10 hectares of rice paddies in the highlands but lacks reservoirs, dams, or irrigation canals. To support production, the villagers have created water wheels. These water wheels are constructed from readily available local natural materials such as bamboo and rattan. The design consists of a large wheel with bamboo tubes attached around the rim. The wheel is placed in streams with strong currents. When water pushes the wheel to turn, the bamboo tubes collect water from the stream and channel it to a higher-positioned bamboo trough, from which the water is then transported through a system of pipes to the rice fields.

Mr. Pham Van Chien, Secretary of the Party Branch of Quang Tho Hamlet 1, Vu Quang Commune, said: “We know that investing in irrigation systems in fragmented, small fields is very difficult. Therefore, the people here have maintained water wheels to continue production, preventing agricultural land from being left fallow. Besides, the water wheels also make the countryside more peaceful.”

As the water pushes the wheel to turn, the bamboo pipes collect water from the stream and lift it to a bamboo trough placed at a higher position, from where the water is channeled through a system of pipes into the fields.

Water wheels are a handcrafted, innovative irrigation system that utilizes the power of natural water to pump water uphill for irrigating fields using bamboo pipes. Mr. Nguyen Van Hung from Quang Tho village, Hamlet 1, said: "Our grandparents and parents have been making water wheels like this since their time. We still preserve and teach our children and grandchildren how to make them to overcome difficulties in irrigation for agricultural production, while also contributing to the preservation of a community cultural tradition."

Water wheels have solved the problem of providing irrigation water for agricultural production in mountainous areas that lack irrigation systems.

Amidst modern life, these rustic waterwheels continue to turn tirelessly, preserving the memories of the countryside and affirming the creativity and resilience of each farmer in their labor and production. These waterwheels are not only symbols of skill and creativity in agricultural cultivation, but now also have great potential for development in ecotourism , cultural tourism, and community development.