The first "Ngo" boat race festival of Khmer people in the Mekong Delta region is slated for November 14-17 in Soc Trang province.
The information was released by organisers at a press conference organised in Can Tho city on September 19.
This is the traditional festival of Khmer people in Soc Trang province held on the fifteenth day of the tenth lunar month every year. This year, it has been upgraded by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to a regional-scale festival.
The festival is expected to attract around 80 boat race teams from Mekong Delta provinces to compete in two categories: 1,200 metres and 1,000 metres.
The event will also include a wide range of activities such as trade fairs, exhibitions, traditional food festival, art performances and ethnic costume competitions among others.
The festival is hoped to help preserve the traditional cultural identity of Khmer people as well as raise public awareness of conserving the cultural heritages in Soc Trang province in particular and the southern region in general.