Tens of thousands of An Giang province locals and visitors flocked to Tho Mit pagoda in Vinh Trung commune, Tinh Bien district for the opening ceremony of the annual Bay Nui (Seven Mountains) Ox Race.


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The race is part of the Sene Dolta, one of the most important annual festivals of the Khmer community in the southwest region. 


Scene of the competition’s ground viewed from above



This year’s event sees the competition of 64 pairs of oxen from An Giang and neighbouring provinces.




Participating oxen join a parade around the ground to the cheer of audiences.



The competition consists of two rounds: ‘hu’ (warming up) and tha (racing). In the hu round, each pair of bulls walks around the competition ground for warming up and performance, before gaining speed for the race in the next round.




Each round of competition includes two pairs of bulls. The controller stands on the harrow waving his whip. He must stand firm otherwise he will lose due to violation of regulations.



The champion of the race was awarded VND 30 million while the first, second and third runners-up received VND20 million, VND15 million, VND10 million, respectively.

Nhan Dan