Ngo boat teams before the competition begins. (File VNA)
Tra Vinh (VNA) – The traditional Ngo(Khmer boat) race in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh opened on November 6as part of the Ok Om Bok Festival.
The tournament, to last until November 7, bringstogether eight teams with more than 800 athletes from seven districts and TraVinh city, and guest athletes from Rong Giang district in the Mekong Deltaprovince of Kien Giang.
According to Duong Hoang Sum, Director of Tra Vinh’sDepartment of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ok Om Bok Festival wasrecognised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as national intangiblecultural heritage.
The annual boat race attests the strength ofsolidarity as well as special culture of Khmer people in the southern regionand Tra Vinh in particular, he noted.
On this occasion, Tra Vinh has launched a cultural andtourism week and a southern cuisine festival from November 2-8 with an array ofart and sport activities.
The Ok Om Bok (moon worshipping) is one of the threemain festivals, along with Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay, that Khmer peoplecelebrate every year. It often takes place around the full-moon period of the10th lunar month, after the harvest season.
Khmer people believe the moon is a god who controlsthe weather and crops. The worship aims to thank the moon for granting themgood weather and bumper harvests, and to pray for better crops in the followingyear.
Tra Vinh is home to nearly 330,000 Khmer people whoaccount for 31% of its population./.
A Ngo boat race (similar to the sport of dragon boating) took place on Long Binh river of the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh on November 21, part of the traditional Ooc Om Bok Festival of the Khmer
Ngo boat race is not only a sports activity for the Khmer community but also holds special cultural and spiritual significance to the ethnic minority group.
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For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
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Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
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The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Ngo boat teams before the competition begins. (File VNA) 
