The 2026 Ro Pagoda Traditional Bull Racing Festival kicked off on September 13 in An Cu Commune. A cherished cultural spectacle, the event serves as an indispensable spiritual cornerstone for the Khmer community during their yearly Sene Dolta remembrance festival.
This year’s edition gathered 32 bull pairs from An Cu Commune, Tinh Bien Ward, Chi Lang Ward, and Nui Cam Commune.
In the lead-up to race day, handlers invested weeks into intensive conditioning and diet regimens to ensure peak physical endurance.
The teams faced off in a tense, single-elimination bracket. Heavy rain drenched the grounds, turning the track into a slippery morass and raising the competitive stakes.
Organizers converted one of Ro Pagoda’s expansive wet-rice paddies into a functioning racecourse. A solo jockey (nài bò) helmed each pair, balancing atop a wooden harrow fitted with sharp metal teeth. Gripping a rattan whip, the driver urged his beasts forward while negotiating tight, muddy turns at breakneck speeds.
Under traditional tournament rules, pairs matched up in head-to-head heats. Each race began with the “warm-up lap” (vòng hô), allowing the pairs to trot slowly and test the footing. The heat then pivoted into the decisive “release lap” (vòng thả), where jockeys unleashed furious whip cracks to surge toward the line.
Unfazed by the downpour, thousands of spectators donned raincoats and packed the perimeter, roaring with every sudden burst of acceleration.
On the slick surface, split-second maneuvers decided the victor. Drivers walked a razor-thin line between driving maximum forward momentum and staying upright on the bouncing harrow.
Under traditional racing bylaws, if a trailing pair caught up and touched the harrow of the leader, the trailing team was disqualified on the spot. This volatile mix of brute animal power, explosive acceleration, and high-stakes jockey balance is what makes the folk sport so captivating.
Surrounded by cheering crowds, the bulls charged down the final straight, with the first pair crossing the finish line claiming advancement.
After half a day of relentless competition through the preliminary rounds, quarterfinals, semifinals, and classification finals, pair number 08, steered by Nguyen Thanh Tung, claimed the championship title alongside a 30 million VND ($1,200) purse.
Once the races wrapped, Buddhist monks joined local Khmer villagers directly in the churned racecourse to transplant young rice seedlings, marking the ceremonial launch of the new crop season.
Young Khmer children staged mock races through the mud before pitching in with the transplanting, passing along living agricultural heritage to the next generation.
Organizers noted that this year’s festival faced potential cancellation due to severe budget constraints. However, dedicated community fundraising and private sponsorship secured the necessary capital to keep the tradition alive.
Marking the occasion, the organizing committee donated 100 bicycles to underprivileged students who demonstrated academic excellence. The An Giang Provincial Border Guard Command contributed an additional 100 gift packages valued at 500,000 VND ($20) each.
The festival also featured a photo exhibition spotlighting bull-racing heritage and everyday life across An Giang’s Seven Mountains (That Son) region, alongside showcase booths promoting regional One Commune One Product (OCOP) specialties.
(Source: VietNamNet)
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