Village wells - cultural beauty of Vietnamese countryside

Restoring village wells built by our ancestors not only contributes to creating a fresh, ancient and rustic image of the countryside, but is also a way to teach the younger generation the precious values of village culture. Therefore, in the process of building a new countryside, many village wells are focused on being restored, repaired and preserved by Ninh Binh people.

A place to preserve village love and neighborhood affection

The village well is located in the grounds of Yen Thanh communal house and pagoda, Truong Yen commune, Hoa Lu district, built in 1890. According to local elders, the village well was built at the "dragon's eye" position in the overall image of a dragon facing Yen Thanh communal house and pagoda. The well is located in a high, airy place, near the community gathering place. For more than 130 years, Yen Thanh village well has been the main source of water serving the daily life of the villagers, providing cool water for local people to use in their daily activities from cooking to washing, bathing, etc. The village well is a cultural space, a symbol carrying the spiritual value of many villages and communes.

Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Vi, Head of the Elderly Association of Yen Thanh village, Truong Yen commune, shared that in his memory, the village well not only provided water but was also a place for cultural activities of local people. The village well witnessed many events of the village and hamlet from generation to generation. Life is increasingly developing. Villagers no longer use water from the well but switch to using tap water for daily activities. This place is still a place to preserve many beautiful memories of village and neighborly love. Every afternoon, children in the village still come here to play, the elderly still choose the village well as a place to meet, chat, tell each other stories about plowing, farming, memories of a time of poverty and hardship. The village well still exists as a part of the villagers' memories, and needs to be preserved and promoted in modern life.

Truong Yen commune currently has over 20 village wells. Along with the village wells that are regularly repaired and used as places for community activities, Truong Yen commune is promoting the restoration of long-abandoned village wells to serve cultural activities, connecting people and also being a place for children of the homeland to turn to their roots. Ms. Bui Thi Thanh Nhan, Cultural and Social Officer, Truong Yen commune, said that the commune always considers the village well as a "treasure" of the village, along with the banyan tree and the communal house yard, which have been associated with many ups and downs of history. Therefore, the commune is very interested in and focuses on preserving ancient wells. The cultural and social officer of the commune has actively advised the People's Committee of the commune to develop a project, included in the annual resolution to have a plan to preserve, maintain and promote the village wells.

Preserving village culture

Recognizing the necessity and importance of restoring and preserving the cultural features of the countryside, along with promoting the construction of rural infrastructure, many villages in Hoa Lu district have repaired and restored ancient village wells.

Implementing Resolution No. 105/2023/NQ-HDND dated July 12, 2023 of the Ninh Binh Provincial People's Council on a number of policies to support tourism development in the province for the period 2023-2030, Hoa Lu district has developed a plan and propagated and mobilized localities, associations, unions and people to join in restoring and preserving village wells associated with local tourism development. In the process of building and implementing the National Target Program on New Rural Construction, in addition to renovating rural roads, people in Hoa Lu district have agreed to contribute manpower and money to build and repair village wells by measures such as reinforcing, building a system of surrounding brick walls, and stone embankments to keep the wells from collapsing.

Not only in Hoa Lu district, Ninh Binh province also has many localities that still preserve and maintain village wells. Among them, many famous village wells such as Ngoc well located at the foot of the ancient Bai Dinh pagoda, Gia Sinh commune, Gia Vien district. According to historical records, the well was built about 1,000 years ago. Today, the ancient Bai Dinh pagoda has been restored and rebuilt, Ngoc well has also been repaired. Currently, the well has a crescent shape, a diameter of nearly 30m, a depth of about 6m, the area around the well is built in a square shape with an area of up to 6,000m2. In 2007, the Vietnam Record Book Center granted a Certificate of Record "The pagoda with a well"

Mr. Truong Dinh Tuong, Chairman of the Ninh Binh Province Historical Science Association, said that as a witness to history, people also attach to village wells stories, legends, and myths of humanistic significance that reflect the spiritual culture of the whole community. Life is increasingly modern and developed, village wells no longer play an important role as before, but that does not mean that people forget village wells. Village wells are still preserved not only to preserve a traditional beauty in village culture but also as a way to promote the soul of the countryside. Preserving village wells is not only for a public project but also to preserve a spiritual cultural beauty.

In particular, implementing the movement of building new rural areas, aiming to build a model new rural area, although the landscape and environment in the villages in Ninh Binh province have changed a lot, the unique beauty of the countryside such as banyan trees, wells, communal houses, etc. are still protected and preserved by successive generations as symbols of life and good vitality. Village wells have been and are in need of preservation and restoration to remind future generations to always remember their roots.

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