Hundreds of residents in Ho Chi Minh City converged on an open space in District 1 to view the year’s last solar eclipse at Thursday noon.

The annular solar eclipse, in which the moon does not completely cover the sun as it transits across the star’s face, creating a so-called “ring of fire,” was seen from Asia to the Middle East, according to CNN.

In Ho Chi Minh City, around 200 astronomy enthusiasts converged on the Bach Dang Wharf in District 1 to view the rare event.

However, they could only see the sun covered by up to 60 percent at the eclipse’s peak at 12:17 pm, said Pham Bui Xuan Hoang from the Ho Chi Minh City Amateur Astronomy Club.

The full eclipse could be viewed from Singapore, CNN reported.

The eclipse lasted for a few hours beginning at around 10:00 am, Hoang added.

The cloudy weather also made it difficult to clearly view the eclipse from Ho Chi Minh City.

Hoang said his club had made preparations for the eclipse viewing event for a long time and provided free eclipse glasses to residents who participated.

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