Published:  00:00 Saturday - September 19, 2009

More than 30,000 local people came to cheer at the 18th Bay Nui Cow Race held in Tinh Bien district, An Giang province, on September 18, with more than 72 pairs of cows competing in the professional and amateur events.

The professional event’s first prize went to Nguyen Thanh Tai from Chau Lang commune, Tri Ton district, while the amateur event’s first prize was won by Mr Tran Van Dat from the same district.

The Bay Nui race is a custom of the Khmer ethnic community in this area. In the past, farmers here used cows to plough rice fields and held cow races for fun. Each pair of racing cows carries a rake driven by a farmer and they compete in a knock-out format.

The festival is held when the seeds for the year’s last crop have been sown and farmers have free time to train and take special care of their cows.

The festival attracts the participation of thousands of people from Tinh Bien district as well as the Mekong Delta and Ho Chi Minh City.