Ngo boat racing - a unique cultural festival for tourists coming to Ho Chi Minh City

(To Quoc) - Tourists coming to Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) in mid-November 2024 will have the opportunity to participate in the Ngo Boat Racing Festival on Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal, a canal that flows through the center of HCMC.

In the cultural and spiritual life of the Khmer people in the South, Ngo boat racing is not only a traditional sport but also contains sacred meaning (photo: thanhuytphcm.vn)

Ngo boat racing festival - a unique cultural beauty of the river region

Ghe ngo is a typical waterway vehicle of the Khmer people in the South. The ghe ngo is closely associated with culture and has great spiritual value for the Khmer people in the South. In the cultural life of the Khmer people, the ghe ngo is a sacred object. When doing anything related to the ghe ngo, a ceremony must be held to pray.

In the process of making ngo boats, the Khmer spiritual culture is expressed in choosing symbols for ngo boats, each ngo boat has its own symbol. The symbol of each ngo boat is considered to be the guardian deity of the ngo boat, usually gods such as: Srey Khmav, Konseng Sorya, Chum tiev Ok… are chosen as guardian deities for the ngo boat.

Ngo boat racing is also a traditional sport of the Khmer people that appears during the Ok Om Bok festival. Ngo boat racing is considered a typical activity to show gratitude to the water god for bringing people a bountiful harvest.

In today's cultural life, the Ngo boat racing festival is held in many provinces/cities in the South, contributing to preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Khmer people in the South. The festival also contributes to enhancing cultural exchange, learning, and experience sharing among ethnic groups, promoting the potential and advantages of local tourism images as safe, friendly, and affectionate destinations for domestic and international friends.

In particular, the Ngo boat racing festival of the Khmer people in Soc Trang province was signed by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung in Decision No. 74/QD-BVHTTDL issued on January 2, 2021, putting the traditional Ngo boat racing festival of the Khmer people in Soc Trang province into the List of national intangible cultural heritage.

The Ngo boat racing festival thereby affirms its position in the cultural life of the people of the South, is spread in cultural and sports activities and is a highlight attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to participate and experience.

In recent years, thanks to economic development policies as well as the attention of the Party and State for ethnic minorities, cultural and sports activities in the Khmer region have been maintained and developed to new heights, notably the Ngo boat racing movement.

The Ngo boat racing festival is held as an opportunity for locals and tourists to gather, have fun, and enjoy the competitions of the teams, thereby contributing effectively to the preservation and promotion of cultural values ​​and strengthening the great national unity. Thanks to that, Ngo boat racing has developed, becoming a symbol of spiritual strength and solidarity in the cultural and spiritual life of the Khmer ethnic group in the South.

The first Ngo boat racing festival in District 3 attracted the attention of many people and tourists.

"The Country is Full of Joy": District 3 Ngo Boat Racing Festival Expanded

After being held for the first time in 2023, the District 3 Ngo Boat Racing Festival on Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal for the second time in 2024 continues to be held with the theme "The Country is Full of Joy". The festival takes place from 6:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 10, 2024 on Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal (from Cong Ly Bridge to Le Van Sy Bridge, District 3, Ho Chi Minh City) with the participation of 12 competing teams from District 3, Ho Chi Minh City and provinces in the Southern region such as Binh Duong, Can Tho, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, etc.

This is one of the activities organized to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South and National Reunification Day (April 30, 1975 - April 30, 2025), the 94th anniversary of the founding of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (November 18, 1930 - November 18, 2024), the National Great Unity Day, the Vietnam Cultural Heritage Day November 23, the Ok Om Bok Festival (also known as the Flat Rice Offering Festival or the Moon Offering Festival) - a traditional festival of great significance to the Khmer people.

Promoting the effectiveness achieved through organizing the first Ngo boat racing festival in 2023, in order to strengthen the solidarity of the great solidarity bloc among ethnic groups, the District Party Committee, People's Committee, and Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of District 3 continue to organize the second Ngo boat racing festival in 2024.

The festival is organized as a demonstration of the consensus of the entire political system of the District in the work of preserving and promoting the cultural identity of the Khmer people in the South, enhancing cultural exchange, learning, and experience exchange between ethnic groups, promoting the potential and advantages of the tourism image of District 3 - a "Safe, friendly, and affectionate" destination for domestic and international friends when coming to Ho Chi Minh City.

This year, 12 teams participated in the Ngo boat racing festival from the southern provinces and cities, including: Ngo boat team of District 3 Militia and Self-Defense Force (HCMC), Ngo boat team of Cambodian students, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, HCMC, Ngo boat team of Candaransi (District 3, HCMC), Ngo boat team of Tong Kim Quang (Binh Duong), Ngo boat team of Khmer Southern Buddhism Academy (Can Tho City), Ngo boat team of Khlang Ong (Chau Thanh, Kien Giang), Ngo boat team of Siriavansa Tuesday (An Bien, Kien Giang), Ngo boat team of Tong Kim Bien gathering place (An Bien, Kien Giang), Ngo boat team of Khlang Muong (Chau Thanh, Kien Giang), Ngo boat team of Xa Xiem Moi (Chau Thanh, Kien Giang), Ngo boat team of Can Duoc (My Xuyen, Soc Trang).

Dragon boat racing on Nhieu Loc - Thi Nghe Canal

Along with the activities of the District 3 Ngo Boat Racing Festival this year, visitors can also enjoy art performances with the participation of singers, with songs praising the homeland, country, Khmer folk songs...

After the art program, District 3 will organize a cultural and culinary exchange program of ethnic minorities in Ho Chi Minh City with typical dishes of the ethnic minorities such as: flat rice, vermicelli soup, fish vermicelli, Nam Vang noodles (Khmer), sticky rice (Bana), Dim sum, Bat Buu soup (Hoa), Banh Day (Mong), shrimp and pork spring rolls, fruit-shaped mung bean cakes...

With activities imbued with the traditions and cultures of ethnic groups, it will help to inspire national pride for the young generation, residents and tourists coming to District 3, Ho Chi Minh City. The event is organized with vibrant colors in preserving ethnic minority culture, with bustling, joyful songs of the people, which is a notable highlight in the cultural activities at the end of 2024 in Ho Chi Minh City./.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/dua-ghe-ngo-le-hoi-van-hoa-doc-dao-danh-cho-du-khach-den-voi-tphcm-2024102811045281.htm