A waterspout tornado formed over rice paddies before tearing through nearby homes, sending debris soaring.

The funnel-shaped vortex stretched from dark storm clouds down onto the wet fields before reaching a compound in An Giang, Vietnam, on August 17.

Footage shows the spinning column ripping materials from structures and hurling them through the air as residents watched from a safe distance.

The base of the whirlwind rotated violently, causing damage until it struck nearby trees and slowly dissipated.

Resident Tran Nguyen Khanh said: ‘The tornado first formed a whirlpool in the fields and reached homes.'

Two types of tornado form at sea - tornadic waterspouts and fair-weather waterspouts. Tornadic waterspouts form from thunderstorms, just like land tornadoes, while fair-weather waterspouts are typically smaller and less powerful without the need for storms.

Both types of waterspout tornadoes are created when there is a strong difference in air pressure between the surface of the water and the air above it. This difference in pressure creates an updraft, which draws air from the surface of the water into the atmosphere. As the air rises, it cools and condenses, forming a cloud. The cloud can then rotate, forming a waterspout.

While most waterspouts stay over water, some can move onto land. When this happens, they behave like land tornadoes, capable of destroying homes, uprooting trees, and scattering debris.