Soc Trang prepares for Ok Om Bok festival

The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang has announced plans for the Ok Om Bok Festival, one of three major festivals of the Khmer people in the South.

Two women teams compete at the final of the 2023 Mekong Delta Ngo (Khmer long boat) race in Soc Trang province to celebrate the Ok Om Bok Festival (Photo: VNA)
Two women teams compete at the final of the 2023 Mekong Delta Ngo (Khmer long boat) race in Soc Trang province to celebrate the Ok Om Bok Festival (Photo: VNA)

Soc Trang (VNS/VNA) — The Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang has announced plans for the Ok Om Bok Festival, one of three major festivals of the Khmer people in the South.

The Ok Om Bok, also called the Festival of Worshipping the Moon, takes place under the full moon in the 10th lunar month annually when the season changes from the rainy to the dry, and from the growing season to the harvest season.

The annual Mekong Delta Ngo (Khmer long boat) race will be held in November on the Maspero River in Soc Trang city.

The event is expected to attract around 60 men and women teams from Soc Trang and other localities in the region.

The race will be 1,200 metres for men and 1,000 metres for women.

Last year, the race attracted 40 men and six women teams.

As part of the Ok Om Bok Festival celebration, Soc Trang will host the Culture, Sports and Tourism Week.

The event will include activities to introduce and promote the cultures of ethnic minority groups in the province, such as fashion shows featuring traditional costumes, and traditional music and dance performances.

The highlight of the programme will be a performance of Vietnam’s largest ngu am (five tones) ensemble.

Ngu am or Pinpeat is a traditional Khmer musical ensemble that performs ceremonial music at temples and rituals.

The traditional ngu am orchestra consists of nine instruments. They are brass, woodwind, and percussion.

Ngu am was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2019.

The event will include the Mekong cuisine festival, a folk game festival, and a light show.

A fair showcasing the province’s OCOP (one commune one product) and tourism products will also be set up.

In addition, Soc Trang will hold a performance of floating water lanterns. The act is one of the Khmer people’s rituals of the Ok Om Bok Festival to express gratitude and respect to the gods of earth and water./.

VNA

See more

Vietnam is ringing in Tet (Traditional Lunar New Year) (Photo: VNA)

Nationwide cultural festivities welcome Tet 2025

As the Lunar New Year 2025 (Tet) approaches, vibrant cultural, artistic, and recreational activities are taking place nationwide, showcasing traditional customs and creating festive vibes for locals and tourists alike.

Vietnamese in Cairo enjoy traditional dishes (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese community in Cairo rings in Lunar New Year

The Vietnamese Embassy in Egypt on January 23 hosted a vibrant community celebration to welcome the Year of the Snake, which brought together a large number of Vietnamese nationals living, working, and studying in the country, alongside numerous international friends.

Worshipping Land Genie and Kitchen Gods is a long-standing custom of great significance as it symbolises the farewell to all bad things of the old year to help people relaxedly enter a new year of peace and happiness. (Photo: VNA)

Carp release ritual on Kitchen Gods’ worshipping day marks start of Tet

The “Ong Cong, Ong Tao” (Land Genie and Kitchen Gods) worshipping ritual, held on the 23rd day of the 12th lunar month, which falls on January 22 this year, is also considered the start of the Lunar New Year (Tet) festival – the biggest and most important traditional holiday of Vietnamese people.

Ambassador Tran Quoc Khanh at the celebration (Photo: VNA)

Vietnamese Tet celebrated in Algeria

The Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria hosted the “Homeland Spring 2025” programme in Algiers on January 20, bringing the vibrant atmosphere of traditional Tet to the Vietnamese community in the country.

Documentary about Vietnam - China friendship released

Documentary about Vietnam - China friendship released

A documentary film featuring the Vietnam - China friendship was released in Nanning city, China's Guangxi province, on January 15 on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the two countries' diplomatic ties (January 18, 1950 - 2025) and the “Year of Vietnam - China Humanistic Exchange.

Dak Lak blends cultural preservation with tourism growth

Dak Lak blends cultural preservation with tourism growth

On January 16, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Dak Lak Province distributed numerous sets of gongs, musical instruments and traditional attire of ethnic groups to 33 cultural clubs and art teams across 14 districts, towns, and cities.