Parkour, or freestyle walking, follows fixies and skateboarding as the latest international subculture to gain popularity among Vietnam’s young urbanites.
Participants jump, flip, negotiate obstacles and perform other ninja-esque maneuvers that induce cringes, jaw drops and conjure images of astronomical hospital bills.
Developed in France in the late 80s, Parkour is but just a baby in Vietnam. The practice was discovered through clips on the internet in the mid 2000s and has gained popularity due to its accessibility and simplicity (no equipment needed other than cojones of steel).
Parkour enthusiasts are popping up all over Vietnam, and, naturally, are mainly concentrated in the urban areas of Saigon and Hanoi. They can be seen at Thong Nhat Park and the University of Science and Technology in Hanoi and Le Thi Rieng Park in District 10 in Saigon, according to Tuoi Tre.
Perhaps it’s my age catching up with me, but these guys are doing things I only thought were possible in video games. Thank the stars for nationalized health care.
