(VOVworld)- The Indian Embassy in Vietnam and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism organized the first International Yoga Day in Hanoi on Sunday.

President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan addresses the event

In his address, President of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Nguyen Thien Nhan said Vietnam is the first countries that supported the Indian Prime Minister’s initiative to observe June 21^st as International Yoga Day. Mr. Nhan said:“The yoga history began thousands of years ago in India. Benefits from practicing yoga have been widely known and yoga has become popular in several countries around the world. Yoga helps people prevent diseases and have a healthy life and encourages love, harmony and connection between people. Attending this event, Vietnam will better understand the benefits of practicing yoga and how yoga contributes to global peace”.

The highlight of the event will be a yoga performance involving 500 people. Activities to mark International Yoga Day are taking places in several major cities and provinces across Vietnam. Vietnam is one of 120 countries that organize this event.