Colorful Culture, Sports and Tourism Week, imbued with national identity

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Week to celebrate the Ok Om Bok festival in 2025 takes place from October 30 to November 5. The event aims to continue to preserve, promote and maintain the national intangible cultural heritage of the Ok Om Bok festival of the Khmer ethnic people in the province, which has been included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism. Currently, relevant units are urgently completing preparations to ensure progress and quality for key activities.

	Ok Om Bok Festival: Preserving and spreading Khmer cultural values
	Checking the preparations for the Culture, Sports and Tourism Week to celebrate the Ok Om Bok Festival in 2025
	[Infographic] Activities to celebrate Ok Om Bok Festival 2025 in Vinh Long province

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Week celebrating the Ok Om Bok festival in 2025 takes place from October 30 to November 5. The event aims to continue to preserve, promote and maintain the national intangible cultural heritage of the Ok Om Bok festival of the Khmer ethnic people in the province, which has been included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Currently, relevant units are urgently completing preparations to ensure progress and quality for key activities.

Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee - Kim Ngoc Thai and leaders of various sectors came to inspect the preparations for the Trade Promotion Fair - Rural Industrial Products and OCOP Products. Photo: BA THI

Rich in identity

“The Ok Om Bok Festival is a community cultural activity, an opportunity to honor, preserve and promote the national intangible cultural values ​​of the Khmer people. The reenactment of rituals, cultural spaces and accompanying activities need to be carefully prepared, lively, fully demonstrating the spirit of solidarity, identity and vitality of Khmer culture.

This year's week is organized with the goal of being successful, safe, large-scale, and impressive, contributing to making the Ok Om Bok 2025 festival a regional and national cultural and tourism event, strongly spreading the Khmer cultural identity of the South to domestic and foreign tourists" - Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, Head of the Week's Organizing Committee - Nguyen Quynh Thien emphasized.

According to the Organizing Committee, the organization and service work has been carefully prepared. The contents related to the opening ceremony and the main night ceremony are basically completed; the location and space of the festival are arranged reasonably, ensuring safety, aesthetics and convenience for visitors. Service departments from reception, logistics, security to health and propaganda have been established and ready to deploy, contributing to ensuring the program takes place solemnly, safely and effectively.

Mr. Duong Hoang Sum - Member of the Provincial Party Committee, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism said: This year's visual propaganda and promotion work was deployed early and synchronously. Hundreds of billboards, banners, and flags were installed along central roads, creating a bustling, lively atmosphere, spreading the festival spirit in the community, contributing to vividly promoting the festival image to people and tourists.

The activities are rich and diverse, connecting culture, sports and tourism; the highlight is the opening ceremony taking place on the evening of October 30 at Pham Ngu Lao Park, Tra Vinh Ward, promising to bring a grand art program, introducing the unique Khmer culture.

Notably, 10 booths of Khmer people will display 16 typical products, combined with demonstrations of traditional handicrafts such as mat weaving, mask making, ceremonial crowns... creating a lively and unique intangible cultural space. In addition, exciting sports activities such as Ngo boat racing, motorbike and bicycle racing and traditional folk games will contribute to creating an exciting atmosphere and connecting the community.

In particular, the Ok Om Bok festival night - an important event taking place on the evening of November 5 at the scenic Ba Om pond, with moon worship rituals, floating lanterns, art performances and reenactments of Khmer folk rituals, honoring national intangible cultural heritage, promises to bring a joyful, colorful atmosphere, imbued with national identity.

Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee - Nguyen Quynh Thien added: "This year's Culture, Sports and Tourism Week needs to create a strong impression, strongly promoting the image of Vinh Long, a safe, friendly destination with a strong Khmer identity to tourists.

Sectors and units focused on inspecting and completing exhibition areas, startup booths, especially the Khmer booth - a place to display typical products, combine intangible cultural space, recreate traditional occupations and unique activities of the Khmer community in the South.

The 3-region culinary area needs to be carefully prepared, ensuring food safety and hygiene so that visitors can enjoy delicious regional specialties. The propaganda, decoration and reception of delegates are carried out synchronously, demonstrating the professionalism and hospitality of the locality.

"The organization of sports activities and folk games, especially the Ngo boat racing festival, needs to increase the rescue force to ensure safety, fun and health, creating an exciting atmosphere for people and tourists" - the Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee especially noted.

Exciting festival atmosphere

One of the highlights of the week is the Trade Promotion Fair - Rural Industrial Products and OCOP opening on October 30 at Nguyet Hoa Ward Square. The event promises to bring a vibrant shopping atmosphere, an opportunity to promote brands, expand markets and spread the spirit of entrepreneurship, and develop a sustainable rural economy.

Dramatizing the moon worship ceremony in the Ok Om Bok festival night, clearly recreating the traditional ritual imbued with the cultural identity of the Khmer people. Photo: BA THI

Arriving at the fair very early, Mr. Mai Van Tho - Owner of the dried fish processing booth of Dam Sen Seafood Trading and Service Co., Ltd. (Binh Thuan) shared: "This is the third time we have participated in the fair to celebrate the Ok Om Bok festival. This year's atmosphere is much more bustling. We arrived 2 days earlier to prepare carefully and serve visitors best."

Along with that, Mr. Pham Nghia Thuyet - Owner of the three-region specialty booth, said: "We are ready to serve visitors with a variety of products such as jams, cakes, and traditional specialties of the three regions of North, Central, and South."

According to Mr. Pham Phuoc Trai - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, the OCOP product display area is prominently arranged with hundreds of typical products from processed agricultural products, handicraft products, regional specialties to products applying new technology, creating highlights to attract consumers.

The trade and startup promotion area is also rushing to complete the display items, introducing innovative products, digital technology and typical startup models. Supply-demand connection activities, specialized seminars, startup discussions and product experiences will be held throughout the days of the fair.

With careful preparation, this year's fair promises to become an important highlight in the Culture - Sports and Tourism Week, contributing to promoting the image, enhancing the value of local products, promoting the spirit of entrepreneurship and innovation in the business community and people.

NYMPH

Source: https://baovinhlong.com.vn/van-hoa-giai-tri/202510/tuan-le-van-hoa-the-thao-va-du-lich-ruc-ro-sac-mau-dam-da-ban-sac-dan-toc-cab3f5d/