A delegation from the Steering Committee for the Southwest region on
September 30 visited and presented gifts to monks at a number of Khmer
pagodas and families in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on
the occasion of the upcoming Sene Dolta Festival.
Lieutenant General Tran Phi Ho, deputy head of the committee, extended
greetings to the monks, nuns and Khmer people, wishing them a happy
festive season.
He called on them to exert further
efforts in educating the Khmer community on the policies and laws of the
Party and Government, promoting national solidarity and vigilance
against sabotage schemes by the enemy, while joining hands with the
local governments to build a prosperous homeland.
In
the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, when the annual Sene Dolta
Festival is around the corner, Khmer people’s excitement to welcome the
festive season in a changing homeland grows.
Thanks to the joint efforts of the Party, State and people, local
residents in the province have raised their average annual income to
nearly 20 million VND (950 USD).
Many supporting
programmes implemented in the province have helped local people,
especially those from ethnic minority groups and mountainous areas, and
improved their living conditions, increasing their access to housing,
farmland, publications and mass media. Up to 55,000 poor Khmer people
receive annual support of 80,000-100,000 VND each.
Sene Dolta Festival is one of the largest annual festivals of the Khmer
people, alongside Chol Chnam Thmay (New Year) and Ooc Oom Bok, a
festival to thank the Moon for a good harvest.
During the festival, which lasts from October 1-4 this year, Khmer
people gather together to pay tribute to their ancestors and enjoy
traditional songs and dancing after a hard working year.
The majority of the Khmer population in Vietnam lives in the southwestern region, which has 453 Khmer pagodas.-VNA