On February 25 (the 9th day of the first lunar month, Binh Ngo Year), at the Go Thi Thung National Historical Site (Tuy An Tay Commune, Dak Lak Province), the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized the traditional Go Thi Thung horse racing festival to welcome the new spring. The festival is a distinctive event originating from the former Phu Yen Province and is held annually on the ninth day of the first lunar month.
Comrade Huynh Thi Chien Hoa, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, presented flowers and commemorative flags to the riders participating in the race.
Immediately after the opening ceremony, the riders and their horses began competition.
The festival was attended by Comrade Huynh Thi Chien Hoa, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; representatives of leaders from provincial departments, agencies and mass organizations; along with local leaders and people of Tuy An Tay Commune.
The horses surged forward along the racetrack.
This year's Go Thi Thung traditional horse racing festival featured several notable and meaningful elements. It was the first edition held since the merger that incorporated the former Phu Yen Province into Dak Lak, forming the new Dak Lak Province. Being staged in the Binh Ngo Year, the Year of the Horse, the festival drew large numbers of local residents and visitors to watch and cheer.
Thrilling chases unfolded among the riders on the track.
The event featured 16 riders representing 16 hamlets of Tuy An Tay Commune. Competitors raced in four heats, each heat including four riders on a 2 km course. The four outstanding riders then advanced to the final round to contest First Prize, Second Prize and joint Third Prizes. The contestants delivered exciting and competitive chases, with riders striving on every stretch to achieve the best possible results.
Comrade Huynh Thi Chien Hoa, Deputy Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, presented awards to the winners at the festival.
In the final standings, horse No. 1 (The Hien Hamlet) won First Prize; horse No. 13 (Xuan Binh Hamlet) won Second Prize; horses No. 5 (Phong Thai Hamlet) and No. 10 (Xuan Loc Hamlet) shared Third Prize; and horse No. 6 (Thai Long Hamlet) won the Style Prize.
Residents and visitors enthusiastically followed the competition.
According to Deputy Director of the Provincial Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Le Vu, the Go Thi Thung traditional horse racing festival is a unique and distinctive cultural and sporting activity of Tuy An Tay in particular and Dak Lak Province in general. Its distinctiveness is most clearly seen in the farmer riders who normally handle pack horses that accompany the people in the fields, yet when they enter the racetrack these animals become powerful, spirited warhorses. Deputy Director Nguyễn Lê Vũ noted that to create moments of excitement and vitality on the track, the farmer riders both work and train their pack horses throughout the year. That image is a vivid symbol of the resilient spirit, steadfast will and bravery of the people in this land with a rich revolutionary tradition. The event is not only a contest between riders and horses but also a celebration of working life and a strong reflection of the locality’s long-standing cultural identity.
