The festival serves as a ritual to bid farewell to the waters flowing out to sea. It is traditionally held at the end of the year when rainfall has decreased significantly, farmers are beginning to harvest their crops, and the Khmer community performs the Moon Worship Ceremony as part of the Ooc Om Boc Festival.

Can Tho holds the record as the location with the largest number of Ngo boats participating in races.

For the Khmer people, the Moon is regarded as a deity governing the year’s harvests. As offerings to the Moon, they pound glutinous rice into com dep (flattened green rice flakes) and prepare other produce for the ceremony.

On the night of the full moon, when the Moon is high in the sky, people gather in the temple yard or at home to hold the ceremony. First, two bamboo poles are erected, with coconut leaves fashioned into an arched gateway.

On the gateway, a string of betel leaves representing the 12 months of the year is hung, along with a string of seven areca nuts split open like the wings of bees, symbolising the seven days of the week.

One of the most vibrant and eagerly awaited events of Ooc Om Boc is the Ngo Boat Race. Each Ngo boat measures around 22–24 metres long and 1.2 metres wide, with 50–60 rowers. These large dugout boats are carved from sturdy tree trunks.

Today, the Ngo Boat Race has become a shared festival for the Kinh, Khmer, and Hoa ethnic communities, strengthening communal relationship in Can Tho and fostering unity in labour, production, and local development. For the Khmer in Can Tho, the organising of the Ngo Boat Race is a cherished tradition.

Another indispensable activity of the Ooc Om Boc – Ngo Boat Race Festival is the water lantern release. The lanterns, shaped like miniature temples, are typically made from banana trunks and sheaths, decorated with intricate patterns, and adorned with colourful lights. Flags are hung from the lantern tops, candles and incense sticks are placed around them, and offerings are arranged inside.

The festival also features other captivating traditional Khmer cultural and sporting activities such as co oc (snail chess), pétanque, Ram Vong dance, and Rong Leo climbing games.

According to the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, this year’s festival will feature five main events: the opening ceremony, the Ngo Boat Race, the Moon Worship Ceremony, water lantern release and Ca Hau boat performances, as well as a trade fair promoting Can Tho’s OCOP products and regional specialties. The highlight will be the traditional Ngo Boat Race, with around 60 men’s and women’s teams expected to compete.

The 2025 Ooc Om Boc Festival is scheduled to take place from November 3 to 5 at venues in Phu Loi Ward and Soc Trang Ward, including Bach Dang Square, April 30 Park, the grandstand along the Ngo boat racecourse on the Maspero River, the 5A Urban Area, the Maspero River section between C247 Bridge (Swing Bridge) and April 30 Bridge (Cao Bridge), and Kh’leang Pagoda.

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