Exciting before the day of the Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival

The 30th Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival for the An Giang Television Cup in 2025 is organized by the Department of Culture and Sports in coordination with An Giang Provincial Newspaper, Radio and Television, and Tri Ton Commune People's Committee. The event will be broadcast live on ATV1 and ATV2 channels of An Giang Provincial Newspaper, Radio and Television; live on HTV Sports channel of Ho Chi Minh City Television. At the same time, it will be rebroadcast by provincial and municipal newspapers, radio and television agencies across the country, thereby introducing the unique culture of the Khmer people in the Bay Nui region, creating a joyful and exciting atmosphere during the Sene Dolta festival; introducing and promoting the province's tourism potential and strengths.

Taking care of cows before the festival. Photo: TRUNG HIEU

As the competition day approaches, the bull owners take advantage of the time to let their pairs of fighting bulls get used to the racetrack, take good care of them, and have them in the best physical condition, ready for the day of the "water-throwing" competition. Mr. Chau Rot, residing in To Ha hamlet, O Lam commune, said that when he heard that the local government would organize bull racing, he planned to take care of his pair of fighting bulls and train them for more than 2 months. "My house is near the bull racing track, so whenever I have free time, I take my pair of bulls out to practice, both to let them get used to the track and to train their physical strength. In big competitions, many pairs participate, and to win a high prize, they have to go through many rounds of racing, and the bulls have to be strong," Mr. Chau Rot shared. Mr. Le Van Moi, resident of Tinh Bien ward, said: “About 2-3 weeks ago, many cow owners came to the training ground. Because it is far away and the travel is expensive, I only brought the cows to the training ground close to the race day to get used to it. About 5 days before the competition, I will not let the cows do heavy training anymore, only let them do light training to regain their strength.”

This year's Bay Nui Ox Racing Festival has 64 pairs of oxen from the communes of Tri Ton, Ba Chuc, O Lam, Co To, Vinh Gia, An Cu, Nui Cam, Giang Thanh, Chi Lang ward, Tinh Bien participating in the competition. The oxen compete in a one-time elimination format according to the lottery code. The winning oxen will continue to the next round. Each competition has 2 rounds: the calling round and the releasing round (main race) to determine the winning oxen. On the racetrack, if a pair of oxen violates the rules, such as: voluntarily leaving the racetrack, stepping on the harrow of the previous pair of oxen (in the calling round)... they will be eliminated, the remaining pair of oxen will win and continue to compete in the next round. Mr. Chau Rot shared: "To win a high prize, in addition to being in good health and familiar with the racetrack, the oxen and the driver must understand each other. To have a pair of oxen competing, it takes at least 3-4 years of care and training".

Pairs of oxen practice at the ox racing ground of Ta Pa - Soai Chek Tourism Sports Area. Photo: TRUNG HIEU

According to the organizers, the 64 pairs of oxen participating in the tournament were selected from the best pairs of oxen in the province, promising to bring many exciting, attractive and unique competitions. Mr. Tran Huy Hoang, residing in An Chau commune, plans to take advantage of the time to go to Tri Ton to watch the ox racing, combined with a visit to the Bay Nui area. "I have intended to go to watch the ox racing for several years now, but due to work, I have not been able to go. This year, the ox racing festival takes place on Saturday, my wife and I went early, choosing the most convenient location to watch," Mr. Tran Huy Hoang shared.

According to Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports Tran Nguyen Ba, the Bay Nui Bull Racing Festival is a unique cultural and sporting event of the province, contributing to preserving and promoting cultural identity, building national solidarity, and enhancing the level of spiritual cultural enjoyment. At the same time, it creates a joyful and exciting atmosphere on the occasion of the Khmer people's Sene Dolta festival, contributing to promoting the image of Bay Nui Bull Racing to a large number of people in the country and the world .

Currently, the Department of Culture and Sports coordinates with An Giang Province Newspaper, Radio and Television, and Tri Ton Commune People's Committee to renovate the grounds, facilities, and equipment for the organization, arrange security forces, and medical forces. In addition, Tri Ton Commune People's Committee organizes cultural and artistic activities imbued with Khmer identity; displays and introduces typical products of localities in the province, especially the Bay Nui region (OCOP products, agricultural products, handicrafts, etc.); food stalls to serve tourists; organizes folk games and cultural exchanges.

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Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/soi-dong-truoc-ngay-vao-hoi-dua-bo-bay-nui-a461604.html