As many as 97 men and women showed off their builds at the first-ever beach bodybuilding competition in Nha Trang, the capital city of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, on Monday afternoon.

The contest, one of nearly 50 activities of all kinds held during the biennial Nha Trang Beach Festival - Khanh Hoa 2019, began yesterday with a march of all contestants on Tran Phu Beach.

While competitors are normally divided into weight classes in conventional bodybuilding contests, the competition in Nha Trang had 97 contestants compete in three events for men and two for women, depending on their heights.

Following Monday’s march, the main competition day was held today, May 14, with the contestants flexing their muscles to a team of judges.

Nguyen Le Trung Tai, head of the organizing board, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that it was the first time such a competition had been organized in Nha Trang, and only the second of its kind in Vietnam.

The event thus captured the attention of both local people and tourists on Tran Phu.

“I was quite surprised by the very nice physiques of the bodybuilders and their appearance en masse on the beach,” said Le Van Quyet, a 54-year-old visitor from the Central Highlands province of Dak Lak.

Le Huong Lan, a 23-year-old Nha Trang resident, told Tuoi Tre that such a competition was meaningful for both the athletes and the public as it encourages people to build healthy bodies.

Running from May 10 to 13, the Nha Trang Beach Festival - Khanh Hoa 2019, now in its ninth edition, is held every two years to attract more tourists to the famed Vietnamese beach city.

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