As part of the Sen Dolta Festival of the Khmer ethnic group, the Bảy Núi ox race festival took place in the Mekong Delta Province of An Giang on October 10th. This annual event features an exciting race between the fastest oxen in the region, and attracts a large number of people.
This year, 37 pairs of oxen took part in the ox race festival in Tịnh Biên District, An Giang Province. All of them gathered at the race track early in the morning to get prepared. Thousands of people from An Giang and other neighboring provinces attended the event to cheer the “racers” on.
"This is the first time I’ve watched the ox race. The oxen here seem to be trained for years. They look so professional." - Nguyen My Nhung, Resident, Vinh Long Province.
In this year’s race, 2 pairs of oxen participated in each game and the losers were eliminated immediately. Because of this rule, ox owners had to prepare very carefully and the games’ speed was pushed to an extremely high level, making the contest even more intense.
"The oxen must be fit and fast. Each month, the oxen must practice about 10 times." - Do Thanh Pal, Ox owner, An Phu Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province.
"It will be good fortune to win a prize. If not, I will keep practising for the next years. I join the race because it is part of our tradition." - Duong Thi Ni, Ox owner, An Cu Commune, Tinh Bien District, An Giang Province.
After a day with more than 30 exciting games, the ox pair from Dương Văn Hiệp in Vĩnh Trung Commune became the winner of the championship. The annual ox race is always an occasion for Khmer people to remember their traditional culture.
