Sóc Trăng: Pagodas, Museum and Khmer Culture

Sóc Trăng offers several perspectives on Khmer culture: an old pagoda surrounded by trees, a museum with exhibits from different areas of life, and religious architecture with elaborate designs. Another feature is the traditional Oóc Om Bóc festival, which is associated with the Ngo boat race. These offer different points of focus for planning your trip: architecture, museum collections or religious customs.

Chùa Kh'leang and the Khmer Museum

Chùa Kh'leang was built around 1533 and is considered the oldest pagoda in Sóc Trăng. It is nearly 500 years old. Many trees, especially palmyra palms, define the grounds. Stone benches beneath them offer visitors a place to rest. Both its long history and the layout of its grounds are among the pagoda’s defining features.

Across from Chùa Khleang is the Sóc Trăng Khmer Museum. Its building is designed in the architectural style of a Khmer pagoda. The museum displays more than 1,000 photographs, documents and artifacts that illustrate the material and spiritual life of the Khmer across several generations. Topics and examples include clothing, house architecture, pagodas and musical instruments. The museum therefore offers a different perspective from the architecture of the pagoda opposite: its focus is on exhibits and different areas of life. The museum was established in 1992; exhibitions for visitors began on November 18, 2010. If you are planning a visit, it is worth checking the current opening hours in advance.

Pagoda architecture and intricate details

Chùa Đất Sét, also called Bửu Sơn Tự or Clay Pagoda, is located at 286 Tôn Đức Thắng Street in Ward 5. The pagoda houses the Đa-Bảo Tower, completed in 1939. It is about four meters high and has 13 elaborately decorated stories. In total, it has 208 doors and 208 Buddha figures, with 156 dragons winding around the tower. These numbers give a concrete sense of the many decorative elements: doors, figures and dragons each contribute their own details to the tower’s appearance.

Nearby, Doi Pagoda is located on Van Ngoc Chinh Street in Ward 3, about two kilometers from Sóc Trăng city center. Its architectural complex includes several buildings across approximately four hectares, with numerous old trees. Khmer art is visible in the symbolic decorations on the pillars and roof, as well as in the reliefs and statues. In 1999, the pagoda was recognized as a national historical and cultural monument. The address and approximate distance offer a guide for your visit.

Oóc Om Bóc and the Ngo boat race

Another cultural facet is the traditional Khmer Oóc Om Bóc ritual, also known as the Moon Worship Ceremony. On November 14, 2024—the 14th day of the tenth lunar month—it was inaugurated on the grounds of Chùa Khleang. The ritual is associated with the traditional Ngo boat race. At this historic event, the ceremony and boat race are therefore linked within a shared cultural context. If you want to plan your trip around a festival, check the specific event dates in advance.

For the broader travel overview: Sóc Trăng.