Nearly 3,000 athletes from the southern province of Soc Trang and
a number of neighbouring provinces have registered for the Ngo boat
race taking place on November 5-6 alongside the 2014 Mekong Delta
Economic Cooperation Forum.
The race brings together 40 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams to row 1,200m and 1,000m, respectively.
Several events will be held on the sidelines of the forum to promote
the culture of the local Khmer ethnic group, including flower offering
and moon worshipping festivals, with the participation of thousands of
Buddhist monks and local Khmer residents.
Soc Trang is home
to the most Ngo boats in the Mekong Delta, with nearly 100 boats kept at
90 Khmer pagodas. Ngo boat race is one of the main activities in the
Khmer’s Ooc Om Bok festival to worship the Moon God and pray for good
harvest.-VNA