Yoga lovers in Ho Chi Minh City are invited to the International Day of Yoga held by the Consulate General of India this weekend.

The annual event, now in its 2nd year, is meant to emulate last year’s success by attracting around 5,000 people to come and practice yoga at the same time.

Speaking at the press conference announcing the event last week, Indian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Smita Pant expressed her pleasure at seeing the connection between yoga in Vietnam and India.

She also said that the event will highlight the spiritual connection between Indian and Vietnamese yoga lovers in the city.

“Lots of people in Vietnam already have knowledge of yoga, they already understand the concept of yoga and meditation,” Pant who called the development of yoga in Vietnam "impressive" told Tuoi Tre News at the press conference.

As planned, the 2nd International Day of Yoga will start with an auspicious lamp lightning ceremony, and will also feature traditional classical Indian dance performances.

These will happen alongside yoga exercises focused on the neck and hands, two parts of the body which are usually impacted when people experience stress.

A meditation session will be conducted to round out participants’ complete body and soul practice.

This year, the event is supported by the Department of Culture and Sports, the Department of External Relations, the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee and the Union of Friendship Organizations.

Indian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City Smita Pant (R) gives a Yoga book to a representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of External Relations at the press conference. Photo: Dong Nguyen/Tuoi Tre News

It is part of the International Day of Yoga held in many cities worldwide after the United Nations General Assembly declared June 21 as the International Day of Yoga in 2014, following a call from Indian Prime Minister Neranda Modi.

In Ho Chi Minh City the event will begin on June 18, making it a weekend event so that as many people can join as possible, according to organizers.

Indian Ambassador to Vietnam Parvathaneni Harish will fly from Hanoi to participate.

The 2nd International Day of Yoga will kick off at 7:00 am at Ho Xuan Huong Indoor Stadium in District 3, with a live broadcast on HTV Sports, HTV7 and HTV9.

After Ho Chi Minh City, it will move to other southern provinces of Long An and Dong Nai on June 21 before continuing in the capital city of Hanoi.

The Consulate General of India in Ho Chi Minh City is also calling for applications for scholarships for yoga trainers under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation scheme.

The first scholarship was recently awarded to Nguyen Quoc Thang, a yoga teacher from the Ho Chi Minh City University of Physical Education and Sports.

Last year, the event attracted 5,000 participants. Photo: Tuoi Tre News

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