The oxen race is part of Khmer's age-old celebratory lifestyle.
Get ready for the fast and furious Oxen Races on 5 October 2010 at the temple courtyard of Ta Miet, in Tri Ton district, An Giang province. In celebration of this unique festival, Victoria Chau Doc Hotel is featuring a fun-filled ‘Oxen Race Day’ package from October 4th to 6th.
The Oxen Race originated as a special sporting event in the Seven Mountains (An Giang), and has always been included in the celebration of the Khmer Dolta festival.
Highlighting this festival are the spectacular and frequently hilarious oxen races. Each race consists of two competitors driving a pair of cattle, whipping them with a rattan switch or a piece of wood to make them race ahead on parcels of 120m long muddy and slippery track field.
Languid lifestyle along the Bassac River otherwise.
Nearly 70 pairs of oxen have been registered so far, and the annual event is always a major attraction among numerous domestic and foreign tourists.
The Oxen Race Package offered by Victoria Chau Doc Hotel features three days two nights stay at the grand colonial style hotel right along the banks for the Bassac River.
Enjoy a massage by the Bassac River.
It is priced at US$224 per person on a twin-share basis, and includes excursions to the Sacred Sam Mountain, a boating tour to the floating fish farm and unique Cham village.
In addition, guests will also be treated with a 45-minute Vietnamese massage, an upgrade to Deluxe room upon availability, a special Victoria gift, and lastly a welcome drink & fruit basket upon arrival.
The Dolta Festival was celebrated traditionally among the Khmer natives of the Mekong Delta region in An Giang province. Celebrating the planting of the autumn-winter crops, it features colourful parades, family dinners, cultural shows, dancing – and the famous Oxen Races.
Charming Cham kids.
The race is open to contestants from An Giang Province but also from other nearby provinces, and even from localities in Cambodia's Takeo Province.
The Dolta Festival is widely celebrated by all ethnicity groups living in this region, and is enjoyed by the young and young at heart alike. You'll be charmed for sure by the colours and culture, if not for these little Cham village kids.