More than 800 Cham artists and tens of thousands visitors have joined the ongoing Cham Cultural, Sport and Tourism Festival in the central province of Ninh Thuan.

The event, jointly held by the province and the ministry of Culture, Sport and Tourism, features Cham traditional dances and folk music as well as local artwork including paintings, architecture and sculptures.

The highlight of the event is the Kate festival to commemorate the gods and goddesses, heroes, ancestors, and kings that served the country well, such as Poklong, Garai and Porome. The festival is annually held on the 1st day of 7th month in the Cham calendar (September or October).

The Cham Cultural, Sport and Tourism Festival will run until October 16.

Meanwhile, another festival, called Bay Nui (Seven Mountain) Cow Racing Festival, is also taking place in the southern province of An Giang. The game was initially held to find pairs of cows which ran fast and were strong enough to plow the next crop. In the game, competitors are required to ride a pair of cows as fast as they can to win. The festival has become a traditional sport of the Khmer people in the location.

Below are photos taken at the Cham festival:

The event’s opening ceremony.

Visitors at the event’s opening ceremony.

 People attend the procession in honor of the old celestial Goddess Ponagar.

The event displays handicraft goods made by Cham people.

Foreign tourists attended as well.