 The boat races are believed to have been held from the ancient times during the reign of Jayavarman VII in 1181 AD until now.It is said to commemorate the heroic example of the Khmer Navy who liberated their land from the oppression of their enemies, namely the kingdom, in a battle which took place on the Tonle Sap.In 1528 AD, King Ang Chan I ordered Ponhea Tat, commander of the Khmer navy in the Bassac District of Kampuchea Krom, to prepare the Khmer army to invade the province of Preah Trapeang (modern-day Tra Vinh, Vietnam), which was under the rule the Đại Việt under Mạc Đăng Dung.