Vietnam marks 1st International Yoga Day with national record

People gather during the International Yoga Day in Vietnam on June 21. Photo: Cuong Halo

Nearly 2,000 people gathered at a stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on Sunday to set a national record for the largest gathering in a yoga event.

The event, which was also held in Hanoi, was to mark the International Yoga Day, which was jointly-held by the Ministry of Sports, Culture and Tourism and the Indian Embassy in Vietnam.

Singers Ho Ngoc Ha and Nguyen Phi Hung participated in the event in HCMC as ambassadors.

The Vietnam Record Association said it would elaborate the exact number of people participating in the event soon.

Smita Pant, Indian Consul General in HCMC, said the event aimed to promote yoga benefits and bilateral relations between India and Vietnam.

She also called for yoga centers and clubs to open free classes at least once a month.

On December 11, 2014, the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga.

A total of 177 nations out of 193 member states of the United Nations joined as co-sponsors, creating a new record for the highest number of co-sponsoring countries ever for a UN General Assembly Resolution of such nature.

The declaration came after the call for the adoption of June 21 as International Day of Yoga by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modiduring his address to UN General Assembly on September 27, 2014.

Vietnam was one of the first countries to co-sponsor the resolution.