Dragon boat races return to Cambodian capital for water festival

Participants row dragon boats during a competition as part of the Water Festival on the Tonle Sap river in Phnom Penh on Nov 26, 2023.- AFP

PHNOM PENH: Tens of thousands of spectators thronged the riverfront in the Cambodian capital Phnom Penh on Sunday (Nov 26) for an annual dragon boat race -- the centrepiece of the kingdom's three-day water festival, cancelled during the Covid pandemic.

Around 300 boats, their crews dressed in matching bright T-shirts, strained for the win as they dipped their colourful paddles into the Tonle Sap river with the royal palace behind them.