Traditional Khmer Water Practices: A Case Study of Phnom K’to, Vietnam

Abstract

Phnom K’to (Cô Tô Mountain) is the easternmost peak of a small chain of granite outcrops of Vietnam’s Mekong Delta. It reveals a long and rich tradition of water management that is often overlooked in present-day development. Although the region is under Vietnamese control, it had centuries of Khmer rule and inhabitation. Today, the marginalized Khmer settlements around Phnom K’to are spread across varied terrain, from rugged mountains to muddy floodplains, with monsoon-fed and flood-cycle cultivation. The Khmer’s traditional water practices were carefully adapted to topography and water variations, forming interconnected habitats and productive mosaics specific to Khmer society. However, their vernacular landscape has been dramatically transformed and recast by modern canals (since the nineteenth century), dike building and granite mining (since 1975), and roads and reservoirs (since the 2010s). Whereas the entire region suffers from the consequences of global warming (particularly floods and droughts) and ecological destruction, there is an opportunity to revisit traditional Khmer water practices to provide insights for reconfiguring the water system. Fieldwork-based drawings, annotated with Khmer terminology, highlight morpho-topological readings of the relationship between water management practices and settlement. The research seeks to uncover opportunities to revisit and revalue such practices to renew stewardship of the territory.