The race has 40 men and six women teams from Soc Trang and neighbouring provinces of Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, and Can Tho City. The annual event celebrates the Ok Om Bok festival, also called the Festival of Worshipping the Moon. The ritual takes place under the full moon in the 10th lunar month annually when the season changes from rainy to dry, and from the growing season to the harvest season.   The event aims to honour cultural values and preserve and promote the cultural traits of the ethnic Khmer people in the South, as well as boost the province’s tourism./.