A delegation from the Steering Committee for the Southwest region on September 30 visited and presented gifts to monks at a number of Khmer pagodas and families in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang on the occasion of the upcoming Sene Dolta Festival.

Lieutenant General Tran Phi Ho, deputy head of the committee, extended greetings to the monks, nuns and Khmer people, wishing them a happy festive season.

He called on them to exert further efforts in educating the Khmer community on the policies and laws of the Party and Government, promoting national solidarity and vigilance against sabotage schemes by the enemy, while joining hands with the local governments to build a prosperous homeland.

In the Mekong Delta province of An Giang, when the annual Sene Dolta Festival is around the corner, Khmer people’s excitement to welcome the festive season in a changing homeland grows.

Thanks to the joint efforts of the Party, State and people, local residents in the province have raised their average annual income to nearly 20 million VND (950 USD).

Many supporting programmes implemented in the province have helped local people, especially those from ethnic minority groups and mountainous areas, and improved their living conditions, increasing their access to housing, farmland, publications and mass media. Up to 55,000 poor Khmer people receive annual support of 80,000-100,000 VND each.

Sene Dolta Festival is one of the largest annual festivals of the Khmer people, alongside Chol Chnam Thmay (New Year) and Ooc Oom Bok, a festival to thank the Moon for a good harvest.

During the festival, which lasts from October 1-4 this year, Khmer people gather together to pay tribute to their ancestors and enjoy traditional songs and dancing after a hard working year.

The majority of the Khmer population in Vietnam lives in the southwestern region, which has 453 Khmer pagodas.-VNA