HÀ NỘI With the theme 'Yoga for Self and Society' the 10th International Yoga Day will be held in 40 provinces and cities across Việt Nam, attracting tens of thousands of participants.

Yoga at the Vietnamese Women's Museum, Hà Nội. – VNA/VNS Photo Minh Thu

According to Sandeep Arya, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of India to Việt Nam, this year's theme signifies that if individuals can improve their health and become better citizens, society will progress and achieve harmony.

The Ambassador said that the widespread popularity of yoga in Việt Nam reflects a profound understanding of the benefits of practising yoga, a popularity shared across the world. Yoga also demonstrates an important cultural connection and people-to-people exchange between India and Việt Nam.

Indian Ambassador to Việt Nam Sandeep Arya. – VNA/VNS Photo

The Indian Embassy in Hà Nội and the Indian Consulate General in HCM City will collaborate with provinces and cities to organise mass yoga sessions, to raise community awareness about the benefits of yoga.

In Hà Nội, an event will take place at 5.15am on June 20 at Quần Ngựa Sports Palace (Ba Đình) with a mass yoga session involving around a thousand participants.

Yogis will spend 40 minutes performing basic yoga postures, followed by 15 minutes of yoga-related performances.

In addition to Hà Nội, events will also be held in HCM City, Đà Nẵng, Quảng Ninh, Bà Rịa-Vũng Tàu, Quảng Bình, Đồng Nai, Bình Dương, Cần Thơ, Bắc Giang, Quảng Nam, Khánh Hòa, Quảng Trị, Nam Định and Tuyên Quang.

The Indian Embassy will also be leading several breathing and yoga training sessions at various organisations to help workers reduce stress and increase productivity.

It will be hosting daily yoga classes which residents can sign up for, while the government of India offers scholarships to study yoga disciplines - a four year programme in one case - or shorter one or two week studies - related to yoga practice and research. — VNS