Monks celebrate Chol Chnam Thmay at pagoda- Illustrative image (Source: http://dulichcampuchia123.net) Phnom Penh (VNA) - The General Association of Vietnamese-Cambodian People (GAVCP) in Cambodia hosted a ceremony in Phnom Penh on April 7 to celebrate Cambodia’s traditional New Year festival - Chol Chnam Thmay.
The event was attended by Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh, Secretary of State at the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religions Nhem Valy, representatives of Vietnamese enterprises investing in Cambodia, and over 200 Vietnamese-Cambodian people.
In his speech at the ceremony, Nhem Valy wished Vietnamese-Cambodian people a lucky, successful and happy New Year. He hoped the traditional friendship between Vietnam and Cambodia would be further reinforced and developed.
Ambassador Minh extended Chol Chnam Thmay New Year greetings to the Cambodian people and the Vietnamese Cambodian people community, while expressing his joy to witness the strong development of Cambodia in recent time.
He stressed that the Vietnamese Party and State always consider overseas Vietnamese, including those in Cambodian, an indispensable part of the Vietnamese nation.
Minh thanked Cambodian relevant agencies for their close coordination with the embassy and the GAVCP as well as their creation of favourable conditions for Vietnamese people and enterprises in the country.
Participants at the event had a chance to enjoy unique food of the two nations, and an art performance show spotlighting the Vietnam-Cambodia friendship.
Chol Chnam Thmay is one of the most important festivals for Khmer people in Cambodia. It usually lasts three days and is celebrated mostly in pagodas. The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’s aspirations, like many other ethnic groups, to move on from the previous year’s misfortunes and look forward to a promising new year. This year’s event will take place from April 14-16.-VNA
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