Southwestern Steering Committee visits Khmer people for Sene Dolta festival

Nhan Dan/ VNA – In the run up to the 2014 Sene Dolta festival in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang, the Southwestern region Steering committee and provincial officials presented gifts to monks, retired officials and families of the Khmer ethnic group.

Monks at Sene Dolta festival (Source: VNA)
Monks at Sene Dolta festival (Source: VNA)

The delegation wished the Khmer people a joyous and prosperous Sene Dolta festival, and reminded them to protect their crops and maintain social order during the celebration.

Representatives of the Union of Patriotic Monks thanked the delegation for their continuous support and financial assistance, which provided opportunities for local residents to improve their lives.

According to the Deputy Secretary of the Hau Giang Party Committee, the locality has successfully implemented the Government’s policies on ethnic minorities and religion in recent years. In particular, 2,200 Khmer households benefitted from support programmes providing arable land, clean water and housing, including the construction of 700 new houses.

Furthermore, the province is implementing the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 551 on socio-economic development in disadvantaged communes and small villages, building infrastructure, developing effective production models, reducing poverty and supplying residents with clean water.

Hau Giang has a Khmer population of more than 26,000 living in over 5,500 households, making up 3.5 percent of the province’s population.

This year’s Sene Dolta festival takes place from September 22–24.

Sene Dolta is one of the Khmer’s four big annual festivals; the others are Chol Chnam Thmay, Oc Om Bok and the flower-offering festival.