Khmer boat race enlivens festival

Eighteen ghe ngo (Khmer boat) teams from every Mekong Delta district with a Khmer population participated in a two-day race which ended yesterday, December 1, on Xa No Canal in Hau Giang Province's Vi Thanh Town.
The race proceeded in a series of head-to-head races, with Soc Trang Province's Cu Lao Dung beating Tra Vinh's Cang Long to become the ultimate winner, whilst the latter lost the third-place-race to Hau Giang's Long My 1. Each boat is rowed simultaneously by 58 to 62 rowers, of which up to 95 per cent are ethnic Khmer, along a distance of 1,200m.
The event, held as part of the first Viet Nam Rice Festival, has added some excitement to the festive atmosphere.
"The ghe ngo race is the biggest annual sporting event of Khmer people, and it provides some entertainment and recreation after a year of hard work," said Theravada Venerable Danh Phien, abbot of Chac Kha Pagoda and head of a team from Kien Giang Province.
"The event is also a chance for us to pray for good weather so that we will have good crops," he elaborated.
Phien said that his team comprised entirely of farmers has practiced for three hours a days for three months prior to the competition.