61 Ngo boat teams compete at the Ngo boat racing tournament of Ooc Om Boc Festival

Delegates attend the opening ceremony of the Ngo boat race in Can Tho city. Photo: THACH PICCH

Attending the event were Mr. Lam Van Man, member of the Party Central Committee, Chairman of the National Assembly's Ethnic Council; Mr. Son Phuoc Hoan, former Deputy Minister, former Vice Chairman of the Ethnic Committee; Ms. Ho Thi Cam Dao, Deputy Secretary of the City Party Committee, Chairman of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Can Tho City; former leaders of ministries, branches, and the Central Government; leaders and former leaders of Can Tho City, Soc Trang Province and Hau Giang Province (old), monks, superior monks, and local religious dignitaries.

Teams attending the opening ceremony of the Ngo boat race. Photo: THACH PICCH

The tournament will take place on November 4 and 5, with 61 male and female Ngo boat teams competing (8 female Ngo boat teams and 53 male teams). In particular, the team of athletes from Ca Mau province has 8 male teams and 5 female teams participating.

Art performance to celebrate the opening ceremony of the Ngo boat race. Photo: THACH PICCH

According to the competition format, in the men's 1,200m event, 53 teams are divided into 13 groups, each group has 5 teams or 4 teams; the teams will compete in a round robin, selecting 32 winning teams to advance to the round of 16, round of 8, quarter-finals and finals. For the women's 1,000m event, 8 teams are divided into 2 groups, each group has 4 teams, competing in a round robin to select 4 teams to advance to the quarter-finals and finals.

Leaders of the City Party Committee and People's Committee of Can Tho City presented symbolic support plaques and souvenir flags to the female Ngo boat teams participating in the race. Photo: THACH PICCH

Regarding the prize structure, the first place team will receive 200 million VND, the second place team will receive 150 million VND, the third place team will receive 100 million VND and the fourth place team will receive 80 million VND. In addition, the Organizing Committee will also award prizes to the first and second place teams and the winners of each round. The total prize value is up to nearly 1,396,000,000 VND. In addition, each participating boat team will receive 30 million VND from the Organizing Committee.

Can Tho City leaders presented symbolic support plaques and souvenir flags to the Ngo Nam boat teams participating in the race. Photo: THACH PICCH

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Nguyen Van Khoi, Member of the City Party Committee, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Can Tho City, Deputy Head of the Festival Organizing Committee, said that in the effort to build a civilized and modern Can Tho City, the locality pays special attention to preserving and promoting the unique cultural values of ethnic minorities, including the Khmer people. The Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing is a long-standing traditional cultural feature of the Khmer people, creating a joyful atmosphere and solidarity among the ethnic groups in the region. The Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing of the Khmer people was recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a national intangible cultural heritage and in 2022, the Vietnam Guinness Organization recognized the Guinness Record "Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing with the largest number of Ngo boats and athletes in Vietnam". Over the years, this traditional tournament has always attracted the attention and participation of local boat teams and provinces and cities in the region.

After the opening ceremony, the group stage matches took place in an exciting atmosphere. Photo: THACH PIC

After the opening ceremony, the athletes entered the group stage competition amid the anticipation and excitement of hundreds of thousands of people and tourists in the stands and along both banks of the Maspéro River.

XUAN NGUYEN

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/61-doi-ghe-ngo-tranh-tai-tai-giai-dua-ghe-ngo-le-hoi-ooc-om-boc-dua-ghe-ngo-tp-can-tho-2025-a193436.html