Vietnam set dual records in their traditional sports of vovinam at the Saigon Riverside Park yesterday.
Organised by the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, in coordination with the Vietnam Vovinam Federation, the mass Vovinam martial arts dance performance by students across the city, saw both a Vietnamese and a world record being set.
The event successfully set dual records with 60,000 students performing Vovinam simultaneously, taking place both at the main venue and at numerous school sites across Ho Chi Minh City. This included 5,000 students at the main venue and 55,000 students at 150 school locations throughout the city.
To mobilize such a large number of participants, preparations began as early as the summer of the 2023–2024 school year. The Department of Education and Training organized citywide teacher training; coordinated synchronized practices across all schools; developed internationally standardized scripts, formations, and procedures; and completed all record-setting protocols.
Over nearly a year, the education sector closely coordinated efforts — reviewing documents, verifying participant lists, preparing technical equipment, and holding multiple practice rounds at 150 school sites, from Con Dao District to all 168 wards and communes of Ho Chi Minh City. These efforts culminated in an impressive and visually striking mass performance.
This special program celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Education and Training, marking a golden milestone in its journey of innovation and development.
After completing the martial arts dance routine, student performers conducted the Vovinam “Formal Ceremony” (Nghiêm lễ).
In the final formation, students transitioned into creating the Vietnamese national flag, set to the melody of “Giai điệu tự hào.”
The transformation from the Liberation Front flag—symbolizing the reunification mission completed on April 30, 1975—into the red flag with a yellow star, the national flag of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, recreated the nation’s historical journey: from the aspiration for independence to the pride of a developing and rising country.
The student performers had undergone extensive practice not only for the martial arts dance but also for the synchronized formation routines.
