Nghe An deploys emergency repairs to one of the oldest irrigation works in the region

Key projects

The Bara Ben Thuy project is nearly 90 years old, an irrigation hub with a strategic role in the Southern Nghe An Irrigation System, responsible for water regulation, flood drainage and saltwater prevention for three key localities: Nam Dan, Hung Nguyen districts, and Vinh City (formerly).

In particular, the gate and panel gate systems are key items, directly ensuring the operation and efficiency of the entire project. Maintaining the stable operation of these two items is vital to preventing saltwater intrusion into the fields, protecting the quality of irrigation water sources; Ensuring drainage during the rainy and flood season, preventing flooding, protecting infrastructure and production; Maintaining a reasonable water level on the Vinh River, serving irrigation for thousands of hectares of agricultural land in the summer-autumn crop of 2025.

After more than 85 years of operation, many parts of the project have seriously degraded. In particular, on April 29, 2025, when Nam Nghe An Irrigation Company Limited (the project's management and operation unit) conducted a test operation of the gate to prepare for the peak of the rainy season, the gate arm broke, completely losing its ability to operate, making the entire gate and panel system unable to operate.

Mr. Bui Van Hao - Chairman and Director of Nam Irrigation Company Limited said: The time of the incident was the peak of the dry season and the most important agricultural production season of the year. The failure of the gate and panel gate will lead to the risk of deep saltwater intrusion into the fields, causing severe damage to crops. Completely interrupting irrigation pumping, directly affecting the productivity and livelihoods of tens of thousands of households. Increasing the risk of local flooding, especially in the context of climate change causing unusually heavy rains. Therefore, the unit has sent a document requesting the People's Committee of Nghe An province and the departments, branches and superiors to allow urgent repairs and has been approved by the Provincial People's Committee.

Specifically, on June 3, 2025, the Provincial People's Committee issued Decision No. 1571/QD-UBND on issuing an order to build an emergency project: Emergency treatment of the gate and panel gate of Bara Ben Thuy - Nam Nghe An Irrigation System.

The Provincial People's Committee assigned Nam Nghe An Irrigation Company Limited to carry out the construction to ensure the safety of the project, drain water, prevent salinity and retain fresh water for agricultural production as well as proactively respond to the impacts of climate change and rising sea levels. The construction and repair time is within 2 months from the date of issuance of the order. The estimated cost of implementation is 3 billion VND.

Currently, according to Mr. Hao, the broken gate is being repaired by the construction unit with high-strength materials. After completing the processing, it will be reinstalled.

Important historical and cultural values

According to our research, Bara Ben Thuy not only plays an important role in drainage, preventing salinity and preserving fresh water for agricultural production, but is also an iconic structure with historical and cultural value.

According to researcher Pham Xuan Can: Irrigation is a major program in the Central region that the French have been interested in researching and implementing in many localities since the beginning of the 20th century.

Particularly in the Nghe - Tinh region under Ponyane, the director of the Central Transport and Public Works Agency determined that it was necessary to build four irrigation systems, including: Northern Nghe An (Vinh Nord); Southern Nghe An (Vinh Sud); Northern Ha Tinh (Hatinh Nord) and Southern Ha Tinh (Hatinh Sud). By 1930, the survey and design were completed, of which the Southern Nghe An Project had completed research and been submitted for approval, with the goal of irrigating an area of ​​16,000 hectares.

Since 1931, both the Northern Nghe An (Vinh Nord) and Southern Nghe An (Vinh Sud) irrigation systems have been built. However, due to the complex technical nature of the Southern Nghe An irrigation system, the lower riverbed, and the need to use a large pumping system, the construction process has been slower.

The most important works of the Southern Nghe An Irrigation System were: Building the Nam Dan Bara; digging the river from Nam Dan to Vinh, connecting it to the Vinh River; straightening the Vinh River (straightening the section from Tan Phuong Bridge to the Ben Thuy Bara, removing the bends through Hoang Muoi Temple), building the Ben Thuy Bara and Nghi Quang Bara to regulate water and prevent salinity. Until June 2, 1937, when the Northern System was inaugurated, the Nam Dan Bara and Ben Thuy Bara were still under construction.

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Irrigation projects in Nghe An were part of the strategic policy and had been researched, surveyed, and designed since the early 1930s, and were prepared to issue bonds to create a source of construction budget. When the Nghe Tinh Soviet occurred, especially the very serious famine caused by several consecutive crop failures, the Governor General of Indochina was forced to implement it early, without waiting for the issuance of bonds. The French themselves admitted that implementing this program was too late, and that it would have been more beneficial if it had been done earlier...

Researcher Pham Xuan Can

It can be seen that the decision of Nghe An Provincial People's Committee on the emergency handling of the Bara Ben Thuy gate and panet gate is a timely and proactive decision in the work of protecting important irrigation infrastructure. This not only helps ensure the safety of the irrigation system but is also a strategic step in adapting to climate change.