The Foot-Rowers of Tam Coc

 In Tam Coc – Bich Dong (Ninh Binh), there is an image that has become an inseparable symbol of this river region: people who row their boats with their feet. Unlike the usual hand-rowing method, the boatmen and boatwomen here lean back against the side of the boat and skillfully steer the oar with their feet, leaving their hands free for other tasks. This is not some trick performed for tourists, but a skill passed down through generations, rooted in the everyday working life of the people in this low-lying, flood-prone region.


In the old days, when the rice fields here were seasonally submerged, local people had to row with their feet so their hands were free to harvest and bundle rice or cast fishing nets on the river. Their nimble, tireless feet did the work that hands would normally do, while their hands stayed busy with a fishing line, a net, or a sickle. Over time, foot-rowing became second nature to the people of Tam Coc, woven into their livelihood alongside the rice paddies and the gentle, winding Ngo Dong River that flows through three limestone caves.



Today, as Tam Coc has become a famous tourist destination, that same foot-rowing skill has found a new purpose. The boat rowers now use their feet to glide the boat smoothly across the water, guiding visitors through the magnificent caves and past towering mountains and golden rice fields lining the riverbanks — while their hands are free to take photos for guests, point out scenic spots, or simply wave a friendly greeting. From a tool of survival tied to rice fields and fish, foot-rowing has now become a unique cultural feature — a signature of Tam Coc found nowhere else in Vietnam.