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PEACE
13
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Each vessel can hold around 60 peo-
ple sitting in rows of two. The steersman
is usually an important person in the
hamlet or has many years’ experience in
boat-racing. A man standing in the mid-
dle of the boat blows a horn in time with
the steersman’s rhythm to keep the oars-
men going. Only in 1992 were women
allowed to join in the races.
In the past, the boat-racing festi-
val was held mainly in Soc Trang and
Tra Vinh provinces; both are home to
large Khmer communities. It is now
also organised in Can Tho, Bac Lieu, Ca
Mau and Kien Giang, and has become
an important Vietnamese cultural and
sporting event. The festival therefore
now strengthens the ties of the Khmer
community not only in Soc Trang, but
across a much larger area.
Traditionally, the boat race is held
on the full moon of the tenth Lunar
month. This year, the first official ghe
ngo boat race festival was held in Soc
Trang on November 16, attracting 47
male boat teams and 15 female boat
teams from eight provinces in the area.
Tens of thousands of local people and
tourists from all around the country
flocked to the river banks to encourage
the boat teams.
One German tourist at the event,
Leon Stiller, described it as amazing:
“Germany also has boat races, but
none of our boats is as long as those
here.” He added that it’s great to visit
the area during this period because
one can enjoy the eventful boat race,
taste many kinds of delicious local
specialties and enjoy the memorable
festive atmosphere.