The festival will take place from November 3 to November 5 in Phu Loi and Soc Trang wards. As part of the event, activities include the “Ngo” Boat Race, a moon-worshiping ritual, the Loi Protip water lantern release festival, and a performance of the Ca Hau boat, as well as a trade promotion fair showcasing Can Tho City’s OCOP products and regional specialties for 2025.
The three-day traditional boat race of the ethnic Khmer people of the Mekong Delta attracted 61 teams, including 8 female teams. This traditional sporting event draws hundreds of thousands of residents and tourists.
Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Truong Canh Tuyen, Chairman of the Can Tho City People’s Committee and Head of the Festival Organizing Committee, stated that Ok Om Bok is a traditional festival of the Khmer ethnic community in the Southern region, held annually on the full moon of the 10th lunar month. He emphasized that the festival is recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.
The Chairman of the Can Tho City People’s Committee emphasized that the festival aims to honor the traditional cultural values of the Khmer ethnic community in the city, addressing the cultural and spiritual needs of all local ethnic groups, while also contributing to the preservation and promotion of the distinctive cultural and religious heritage of the Khmer people.
The Ok Om Bok (moon worshipping) is one of the three main festivals, along with Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay, that Khmer ethnic people celebrate every year. It is a time for the Khmer to show their gratitude to the Moon Goddess for giving them a bumper harvest and rich aquatic resources.
The much-awaited ‘Ngo Boat Race’ is part of the traditional Ok Om Bok Festival and one of the highlights of the many traditional, historical, and cultural events of the Khmer people.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism announced the recognition of the Ok Om Bok festival as the 4th national intangible cultural heritage in 2014.
