http://news.linktv.org Link TV News Videos (Filtered by topics: Parkour) en-us Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:33:00 -0700 Copyright 2011 Link Media, Inc. http://news.linktv.org/videos/vietnam-picks-up-parkour?start=0 The urban sport of parkour is gaining popularity among Vietnamese youths, who look to the web and their friends for inspiration. Broadcaster VTV4 has more. Wed, 07 Sep 2011 16:33:00 -0700 http://news.linktv.org/videos/vietnam-picks-up-parkour Parkour, Vietnam, Nha Trang, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, VTV4, LinkAsia The urban sport of parkour is gaining popularity among Vietnamese youths, who look to the web and their friends for inspiration. Broadcaster VTV4 has more. ---- It's an urban sport in which people jump, climb, and vault over a series of barriers like walls and railings. The sport is called Parkour, and apparently it started in the slums around Paris. And now it's catching on in Vietnam. VTV4 has the story. Reporter: Every afternoon, members of the Alpha Group gather together in this Nha Trang park to practice Parkour. They are students from schools and rural cities in the area, aged from 16 to 25. Without professional training, these youngsters practice Parkour with the knowledge they learn from friends, websites, and magazines. Gradually, Parkour has attracted more and more youngsters, for very simple reasons. Nguyen Hoang Nam: Physically, Parkour is a discipline that improves practical ability to move in all environments and circumstances. The practitioner needs to navigate a point. They need to move, in order to control their movement. Duong Quoc Huy In terms of interactivity with each other, this sport really give us what we need. Moreover, it helps us train our strength and improves our health. I myself am stronger when practicing this sport. It also trains our mind – I don't step down before obstacles. Reporter: Those who practice Parkour must follow strict exercises which train their physique. However, when practicing Parkour they can apply their creativity into the sport, turning it into an art. Parkour is also a mixture of many kinds of sports. For difficult movements, the practitioners may choose what kind of sports they want to use to overcome obstacles. Parkour highlights simplicity, thus practitioners don't have to invest much into this sport. Nguyen Hoang Nam: A plot of land, a park, or a building – all can be the space of our practicing Parkour. After three months, a practitioner can perform skills which will allow him or her to pass obstacles well. Actually, there are no standard movements for this sport. The point is how to pass the obstacle in the fastest and safest way. Reporter: In Vietnam, Parkour has developed well in big cities, such as Hanoi in the north, and Ho Chi Minh city in the south. Actually, these Parkour groups are private ones, they just get together for the fun. In Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa, there are now two Parkour groups. They are open for anyone who truly loves this sport. Parkour is a discipline that gives people with the desire to improve themselves an opportunity to do so in a way that is enjoyable, and tackle both physical and mental aspects of everyday life.