Therace has drawn the participation of over 1,000 rowers from 17 teamsfrom Ho Chi Minh City and southwestern localities. Hau Giang andKien Giang provinces sent the largest numbers of teams to the event,each with four teams.
On the first day of the competition, theteams competed in the long distances of 1,200m for men and 1,000m forwomen. On November 29, they will continue with the short distances of800m and 600m, respectively.
As a sacred object of the Khmerpeople, every “Ngo” boat is made of wood by artisans and Khmer Buddhistmonks. It is decorated with images of dragons, tigers, elephants, lionsand peacocks representing its power.
“Ngo” boat racing isalso one of the activities to celebrate the Ok Om Bok (worshipping themoon) festival, which is held on the fifteenth day of the tenth lunarmonth every year with plenty of entertainment activities, artperformances, traditional sports and games.-VNA