Khmer ethnic culture festival opens in Bac Lieu province
The seventh Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival of the Khmer in 12 southern provinces kicked off in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu on November 17.
Khmer traditional costume performance (Source www.sggp.org.vn)
Bac Lieu (VNA) - The seventh Culture, Sports andTourism Festival of the Khmer in 12 southern provinces kicked off in the MekongDelta province of Bac Lieu on November 17. Thetraditional festival themed "Preserve and Promote the Khmer Ethnic Cultureto Meet Demand for Sustainable Development of the Country" will close onNovember 19. Participantsinclude 2,000 artists, actors, musicians, spectators and Khmer groups from theMekong Delta city of Can Tho and the southerneconomic hub of Ho Chi Minh Cityas well as the provinces of Tay Ninh, Binh Phuoc, Vinh Long, Tra Vinh, AnGiang, Hau Giang, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Bac Lieu and Ca Mau. Speakingat the opening ceremony, Chairman of the Bac Lieu People’s Committee Duong Thanh Trung saidthe festival creates a good opportunity for the province to promote solidarity,arts and cultural exchanges that help preserve ethnic Khmer’s traditionalculture. Thefestival aims to have "all people unite to build a cultural life" andnew countryside, he said. DeputyPrime Minister Truong Hoa Binh said the Khmer community had made greatcontributions to the nation’s independence and freedom in the past andsustainable development in recent years. Hepraised the provincial authorities for supporting the Khmer people’s spirit andculture. “Besidespaying attention to reviving and preserving traditional culture,localities should promote new cultural values, especially in the border areas,”he noted. Thethree-day festival features traditional ethnic Khmer activities, including folkgames, art and musical performances, costume shows, and cuisine and sportscompetitions. Theprovince has built and upgraded nine Ghe Ngo (traditional Khmer boats) and 17traditional Khmer pentatonic musical instruments. Everythree years, the event features sports, culture and tourism traditions ofthe Khmer community and offers visitors an opportunity to take part in variousactivities. In2014, the sixth Khmer festival was hosted by Hau Giang province.-VNA
The seventh Khmer Culture, Sports and Tourism Festival will be held in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu from November 11-19, according to the organising board.
The third Ooc-Om-Bok Festival (moon worship festival) of the Mekong Delta will take place from October 28-November 3, according to the event’s organising board.
The Vietnamese team will gather on June 26 in Ba Ria-Vung Tau, where they will train until July 14 before departing for Indonesia for the ASEAN U23 Championship 2025, which runs from July 15 to 29. Vietnam will face Laos on July 19 and Cambodia on July 22 in the group stage.
The exhibition showcases more than 100 valuable documents and artifacts, divided into two main parts: “Journalist Nguyen Ai Quoc – Ho Chi Minh” and “President Ho Chi Minh – Founder and Mentor of Vietnamese Revolutionary Press.” This is an opportunity to recall the late leader’s journalism journey and affirm his exceptional role in founding and guiding the revolutionary press in Vietnam.
For the first time, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has granted Vietnam hosting rights for the two championships, including the Asian women’s solo category, which debuts this year as an officially recognised event.
Eight teams will join the tournament, divided into two groups. Group A features Vietnam, the Philippines, Sichuan Club (China), and Australia, while Group B consists of Vietnam U21, Korabelka Club (Russia), Taiwan (China), and U21 Thailand.
Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
For the first time, Vietnamese audiences will have the opportunity to experience the ballet masterpiece "Don Quixote" in its original version by renowned choreographer Marius Petipa.
The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
Creative cultural festivals are fast emerging as a new catalyst for tourism development in Vietnam, as localities increasingly invest in these vibrant events on a more systematic and larger scale.
This marks the first time Vietnam has hosted a continental-level Muay event which will feature competitions across 28 weight categories in combat and eight performance categories.
Coming to the Vietnamese booth, visitors had the chance to take part in a bamboo dance, a workshop on painting woven bamboo or rattan, or quizzes about Vietnam.
These are impressive achievements, not only showing the efforts and prowess of Vietnamese paddlers but also serving as proof of the sports sector’s strategic and systematic investment.
The cultural event in Canberra not only fostered cultural exchanges between Vietnam and Australia but also contributed to promoting Vietnam’s image internationally
The U23 competition will run from June 16 to 22, followed by the U17 event from June 23 to 28, while athletes competing in the U23 category will undergo weight and skill checks ahead of the matches starting June 18, while similar checks for U17 athletes will take place before June 23.
Vietnam continues to sit just behind continental powerhouses Japan, the Republic of Korea, Australia, China, and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK).
Khmer traditional costume performance (Source www.sggp.org.vn) 
