Acrobats Giang Quốc Cơ and Giang Quốc Nghiệp of Việt Nam are invited to set a world record next month in Italy. Photo courtesy of Giang Quốc Cơ

HÀ NỘI — World-class Vietnamese acrobats Giang Quốc Cơ and Giang Quốc Nghiệp are expected to set a world record next month before ending their international career.

Artist Cơ revealed that the bothers received an invitation from the Banijay Italy Group to set up the record on February 7 in Milan, Italy.

Banijay is a powerful production company that includes Aurora TV, Banijay Italia, Banijay Studios Italy, Endemol Shine Italy, L’Officina, Atlantis Film & TV, ITV Movie, and 4Friends.

"We got the invitation several days ago. It is really urgent at this time because you know, Tết is coming and we both have many work, business and family issues to take care of," Cơ told Việt Nam News. "However, we accepted the invitation and will set a world record."

Following the instruction of the organisers, two blindfolded artists will do a balancing act on a 50cm-wide and 2m-high stair.

Nghiệp will balance vertically atop his brother's head, Cơ will have to climb 10 steps up, go across 10m and go down 10 steps in one minute.

"It is a world record because it will be the first time this act is performed to the world public," said Cơ.

Two brothers have set up practise schedule to ensure a world record is made on February 7 in Milan. — Photo courtesy of Giang Quốc Cơ

 "We have done blindfold balancing and climbing up and down acts many times but it is the first time doing it in a complicated combination on such a narrow surface. It is quite challenging and dangerous because if we lose our focus for a second, we will fell down and be injured, he said.

Cơ said one challenge is that they were still making the stair, which is expected to be ready in the next three days, before they could practise the whole routine.

The brothers will leave for Milan and stay at the city on February 1-7. They will perform at the Mediaset TV Station's World Guinness Show in Cologno Monzese.

"This will be our last international competition so it is really important and meaningful to us. We will try our best to make it a beautiful ending," said Cơ. "The performance requires not much physical strength but high skills, and we are confident to make it. Our experience gained over many years and technique practised everyday are key elements to help us succeed."

The Italian performance will be their last international show. — Photo courtesy of Giang Quốc Cơ

Although they are to end their 20-year career performing around the world, the duo qill move their focus to domestic shows serving the national audience.

"We will keep performing but reduce our intensity of training and competition. It is partly due to our age and injuries that we have suffered. And we also want to leave the best memory of us on people's mind when we are at our peak," said Cơ, who is 39 while his brother Nghiệp is 34.

The Giang brothers currently hold two Guinness World Records.

They earned most consecutive stairs climbed, 90, while balancing a person on the head, achieved in 2016 in Spain. Five years later, they broke their own record by climbing 100 stairs in 53sec at the same venue. The other one is the fastest time of 53.97sec to descend and ascend ten stairs while balancing a person on the head (blindfolded) in 2017 in Italy.

They also made a big splash with a top five finish at Britain’s Got Talent Final in 2018. VNS