Published:  00:00 Friday - December 05, 2008

The bright colours of traditional Khmer clothes can be seen everywhere in Can Tho as 15,000 of them gather for a four-day festival of culture, sports and tourism that opens on December 5.

The event is aimed at preserving the cultural identity of the Khmers, who are spread over 12 provinces and cities in the south, enriching their cultural life, and contributing to the development of their areas.

It is organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Can Tho City People’s Committee.

An art troupe from each of the provinces and cities-An Giang, Bac Lieu, BInh Phuoc, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Hau Giang, HCM City, Kien Giang, Soc Trang, Tay Ninh, Tra Vinh and Vinh Long-will perform at the festival.

Each will bring its own local arts and customs.

The festival will include folk performances, traditional costume shows, folk games like ghe ngo boat racing, stick pushing, shell fish chess, kite flying and other events.

An exhibition of photos, artifacts, costumes, traditional music instruments, and other typical cultural objects will be held at the Vietnam Fine Arts Museum to showcase the Khmers’ special cultural features.

Ghe ngo is a long, thin traditional boat, often carved from the hollowed-out trunk of a single tree, with each boat capable of holding up to 50 men. Ghe ngo racing is the most popular and eagerly anticipated event at major Khmer festivals.

The festival is held as a part of the Mekong-Can Tho National Tourism Year.

Deputy director of the local Department of Culture, Sports and Toursim, Le Thanh Phong, said the city has spent around VND70 billion (around US$4 million) on the festival.

“The city travel industry has taken the initiative to collaborate with travel agents across the country to promote activities like orchard tourism, eco-tourism, tours of floating markets and home-stays with local farmers.”

It will be the fourth Khmer festival following others held in Soc Trang in 2000, Kien Giang in 2003 and Tra Vinh in 2005.

There are over 1.3 million Khmers living in the southern region.