46 dragon boat teams entered the exciting competition

STO - At noon on November 26, the Ngo boat racing tournament within the framework of the Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo boat racing in Soc Trang province in 2023 officially opened at the Ngo boat racing grandstand, Soc Trang city (Soc Trang).

Attending the ceremony were comrades: Ho Thi Cam Dao - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Council; Tran Van Lau - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee; Duong Sa Kha - Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Commission, Chairman of the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; Lam Tan Hoa - Member of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Propaganda and Education Commission, Principal of the Provincial Political School; former provincial leaders of all periods; comrades of the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee; Standing members of the Provincial People's Council, People's Committee, and Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee; representatives of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Ethnic Affairs Committee of provinces and cities; monks, nuns, and a large number of people who came to watch and cheer.

Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the Ngo boat race. Photo: THACH PICCH

The dragon boat teams gather before the competition. Photo: THACH PICCH

This year, Soc Trang province's Ngo boat racing tournament has 46 Ngo boat teams from inside and outside the province participating, including 6 female Ngo boat teams. Soc Trang province has 35 male Ngo boat teams and 3 female Ngo boat teams; Bac Lieu has 3 male teams, 3 female teams; Can Tho city has 1 male team and Ca Mau has 1 male team.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Comrade Huynh Thi Diem Ngoc - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Festival Organizing Committee said: "The Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing is a unique traditional cultural beauty of the Khmer people in the South in general and Soc Trang province in particular. This is a festival that the province maintains and organizes annually, aiming to create a joyful atmosphere, solidarity and closeness among the ethnic groups of the localities in the region, thereby contributing to preserving and promoting the good traditional cultural values of the Khmer people in the South".

Comrade Ho Thi Cam Dao - Standing Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairwoman of the People's Council of Soc Trang province (3rd from left) and Comrade Huynh Thi Diem Ngoc - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairwoman of the Provincial People's Committee (4th from left) presented souvenir flags and symbolic plaques of support money to the female boat teams. Photo: THACH PICCH

As part of the series of activities of the Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing in 2023, after the success of many activities, especially the opening ceremony of the festival last night, the Ngo Boat Racing of the Khmer people is the most anticipated activity. This is also the cultural pride of the province when the Ngo Boat Racing Festival of the Khmer people in Soc Trang province was included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and in 2022, Ngo Boat Racing was recognized by the Guinness Vietnam Organization as a record sport "with the largest number of Ngo boats and athletes in Vietnam from 2005 to present".

Comrade Tran Van Lau - Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province (7th from left); Comrade Duong Sa Kha - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Committee's Mass Mobilization Commission, Chairman of the Provincial Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee (6th from right) presenting souvenir flags and symbolic plaques of support money to the southern boat teams. Photo: THACH PICCH

After the opening ceremony, the ghe ngo teams entered the group stage matches one by one. In the men's category, there were 40 teams competing for a distance of 1,200 meters, divided into 10 groups, each group had 4 teams competing in a round robin to calculate points to select 32 teams to continue to the second stage for the next day of competition (November 27), according to the method of groups of 4 teams, then choose 3 teams in the first, second and third positions.

Comrade Lam Hoang Nghiep - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Soc Trang province (8th from left) and Comrade Lam Tan Hoa - Member of the Provincial Party Standing Committee, Head of the Provincial Party Propaganda Department, Principal of the Provincial Political School (7th from left) presented souvenir flags and a plaque symbolizing the support money to the Ngo Nam boat teams. Photo: THACH PICCH

In the women's category, there are 6 teams competing in the 1,000 meter race, divided into 2 groups, each group has 3 teams competing in a round robin to select 4 teams to move on to the semi-finals and finals.