Laos: The launching of a pirogue on the Mekong River. Drawing by Louis Delaporte (c. 1866-68).

Accounts of pirogue races in Indochina date back to the Angkorian period when the Khmers under King Jayavarman VII triumphed over the Chams of Champa after a prolonged naval war (1177-81). Years later, French colonists witnessed boat races which are thought to be the forerunners of today's dragon boat and naga serpent boat racing. Nowadays, every November, millions of Cambodians descend on Phnom Penh for the three-day Bon Om Tuk Water Festival where the highlight is the dramatic pirogue boat races.

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Pictures From History