Kien Giang province has just approved partial support for the cost of building new ngo boats for ngo boat clubs established by competent authorities in association with Khmer Theravada Buddhist pagodas in the province. Specifically, support will be 300 million VND/ngo boat/club.
Supporting the cost of building new Ngo boats for the clubs contributes to restoring, preserving, maintaining and promoting the value of the traditional art form of the Khmer people. Thereby meeting the people's need to enjoy cultural and artistic activities.
According to the People's Committee of Kien Giang province, from 2007 to 2019, the province supported the construction of 13 new Ngo boats with a budget of more than 2 billion VND. Currently, the Ngo boats are old and badly damaged and cannot participate in competitions.
Meanwhile, building a new boat costs a lot of money. The pagodas and people's contributions are not enough to build new ngo boats, so the number of ngo boats in the province decreases every year. This could lead to the risk of this unique traditional sport disappearing.
Currently, the whole province has only 13 ngo boats that can participate in the competition. Many pagodas want to participate in the competition but do not have ngo boats and have to borrow them from other places.
Vice Chairman of Kien Giang Provincial People's Committee Le Trung Ho said that Ngo boat racing is a prominent activity, attracting many tourists and locals to watch the competition at the Khmer festival. It not only creates solidarity and connection between ethnic groups inside and outside the province but also preserves the "quality" and "soul" of the traditional art of the Khmer ethnic group for future generations.
