Interesting job of boat racing commentator Ngo

What makes the Ngo boat races so attractive, exciting and thrilling does not only come from the fast-paced rhythms and the cheers of tens of thousands of spectators on both sides of the river, but also from the enthusiastic and passionate commentators in each round of competition.

Thousands of athletes gathered at Maspéro River ( Can Tho City) to participate in the race.

To better understand the work of a "Ngo boat racing commentator", SGGP Newspaper reporter had an interview with commentator Quoc Khoi, who has been involved in the largest Ngo boat racing tournaments in the Mekong Delta for nearly 20 years.

Commentator Quoc Khoi at the 2025 Can Tho City Ngo Boat Race

Reporter : What brought Quoc Khoi to this job?

Commentator Ngo Quoc Khoi: I graduated from university in 1998, and immediately after that I worked at Soc Trang Radio and Television Station (now Can Tho Radio and Television Station) until now. Quoc Khoi was assigned the role of editor-reporter in the culture and society section.

During the 2008 Ngo boat racing season, Quoc Khoi was assigned to record the results of the boat pairs, then pass them on to the two MCs for commentary during the live broadcast. However, because this recording method was ineffective on live broadcast due to the “delay”, the station’s leadership asked Quoc Khoi to sit with the MCs to comment live.

Quoc Khoi was very worried and confused at that time, because I had only written before, never read the news, let alone comment directly on the air. My accent was pure Western, in the style of "catch a catfish, put it in a basket, jump up and down",... I was very shy, but with encouragement, I also gathered all my courage to comment for the first time in the style of "say what you see".

However, unexpectedly, thanks to Quoc Khoi's strong Western and rustic character, the audience and fans of Ngo boat racing responded quite positively, and the station's leaders also praised him for his charming speaking and quick observations. Besides, Ngo boat racing is also a traditional, rustic sport with a high sense of community, so viewers like the simplicity and simplicity in Quoc Khoi's commentary. From this opportunity, Quoc Khoi has been attached to the job of commentating Ngo boat racing for nearly 20 years now.

Thousands of athletes compete in the Ngo Boat Race on the Maspéro River (Can Tho City)

What skills does a Ngo commentator need?

Commentator Ngo Quoc Khoi: Commenting on Ngo boat is a very special job, it's not quite right to say it's a job, because it's only done once a year, each time only lasts 2 days, but the pressure and intensity of work during these 2 days is very high.

During his work, Quoc Khoi realized that to do a good job of commentating on Ngo boat races, three factors are needed. First, some skills are innate, or simply God-given, such as: voice quality, quick observation ability, language skills... Quoc Khoi is lucky to be born in the river delta region, from a young age he has been used to looking at rivers, water, boats... combined with his major in Literature Pedagogy, so he also has a lot of language capital.

The second and most important thing is passion. Without passion, this job cannot be done well. Of the 60 to 70 Ngo boat teams each season, when passionate, Quoc Khoi will know which team has won the most championships in each season, which year, which locality that boat team is from...

Crowds of spectators crowded to watch the Ngo boat pairs compete.

Also because of his passion, Quoc Khoi can spend a whole month to visit Ngo boat teams before the race starts. These trips help him to listen, share and get more useful information for his commentary work.

Finally, Quoc Khoi thinks that whatever you do, you must have understanding and knowledge about the field you are working in. You must invest, research thoroughly, and collect good things to have a thorough understanding. If you are superficial, it will be very difficult to achieve the expected results.

Many fans of the Ngo boat sport immersed themselves in the water to watch the matches.

What makes you stick with the job of "Ngo boat racing commentator"?

Commentator for Ngo boat racing, Quoc Khoi: Besides my job as a commentator for Ngo boat racing, I am also a fan of this traditional sport of the Khmer people in the South. Ngo boat racing is considered by many to be the “king sport” of the Mekong Delta.

People and tourists on both banks of the Maspéro River watch the race.

Besides the unique cultural tradition, Ngo boat racing also has a strong community spirit that is hard to find in any other sport. Right from the training session, we see the whole community join hands to contribute. The temple management board, monks, and coaches gather and gather swimmers to practice. The local government enthusiastically mobilizes funds to support the local boat team. The villagers, young and old, men and women join hands to prepare meals for the athletes, some go to find wood to repair the boat... Then when it comes to the competition, everyone is one, on the river, 60 to 70 swimmers join in the same rhythm to the sound of the whistle, on both sides of the river are the cheers and encouragement of tens of thousands of spectators. These are the moments and images that make Quoc Khoi love and attach himself even more to the job of "Ngo boat racing commentator".

Many of his brothers have given Quoc Khoi different nicknames. One of them, Quoc Khoi, likes when people talk about him is “the storyteller of the Ngo boat on the Maspéro River”. Because Khoi’s wish is not just to sit there and comment on who wins and who loses, but to contribute to the beautiful and attractive stories and images of the king sport of the river.

Thank you!

TUAN QUANG

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/thu-vi-cong-viec-binh-luan-vien-dua-ghe-ngo-post821802.html