A day at the races is enjoyable enough throughout the year, but a day at the Elephant Races in Vietnam is something to remember for a lifetime.

The village of Don in the forests of Vietnam near the Sevepoi River holds its Elephant Races every spring, which falls during the third lunar month.

And the festival is one of the highlights of the calendar in the Middle Highlands of the country, with locals famous for their elephant hunting skills showing off their talents with a race on the back of the giant mammals.

Competing over a one to two kilometre racetrack, the elephants and their jockeys have to negotiate fairly flat ground along with the odd tree in order to make it to the finish line, with ten or more elephants running side by side.

Visitors and the watching crowd are encouraged to use gongs and horns to spur their chosen lumbering beast onwards, with the race winner raising its trunk in celebration at the end.

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