Women hit streets for dawn workouts
Groups of women, wearing tight colourful outfits, practise aerobics to music blasting from CD players.
Large public spaces such as the one in front of King Ly Thai To statue near Hoan Kiem Lake is an ideal place for women to practise. Beginning at 5am, women crowd the area, spilling over the sidewalk on the banks of the lake. There is a trainer at the front, but because there are so many trainees, many can only imitate the moves of the women in front of them.
In Thong Nhat Park there are five aerobics classes, some with up to 150 women per session. Many of the participants have to stand as far as 70m from the trainer.
Nguyen Thu Linh, 33, from Chuong Duong Ward, says because of the lack of space, they are unable to lay down for belly workouts. "We just stand and shake our hips."
Linh says she has a gym equipment at home but she prefers to practise aerobics outside. "Practising aerobics out in the fresh open air is cool and refreshing. It doesn’t make me feel stuffy like when I practise in my room," she says.
There are hundreds of reasons for women to practise aerobics every morning. Many are overweight, so they often feel tired; some complain they have problems with their shoulders and joints; some have oversized belly’s which their husbands don’t like; and some simply say they consider this as their time to relax.
Many women choose not to join organised clubs or classes, bringing their own CD player to practise on their own.
"Since we practise aerobics ourselves, we don’t have to pay and we can control how long and how intense the practise is. Working out at clubs made me feel too tired," says Mai Loan.
Every morning, Loan and some of the women from her street practise on the pavement around Thien Quang Lake. The long-term participants guide the new comers. After the workout, they take time to sit and "buon dua le" – share family stories - for a while.
Many women don’t practise aerobics, but take the opportunity to exercise in other ways. They just walk or run. When they tire out, they stand close to the organised aerobics groups to listen to the music and wriggle.
One trainer in Thong Nhat Park, Thu Lan, says the classes are beginning to attract more and more women because people today are more concerned about their health.
"During the summer, we pay much more attention to how we look, because with a good-looking body, we can wear thinner clothes. Moreover, the summer’s hot weather also makes people get up earlier."
Morning is not the only time of day women practise aerobics. In the evenings, women convene for practise next to Van, Hoan Kiem and Thanh Cong lakes, and in Thong Nhat Park.
Along with the obvious health benefits that aerobics offers, the public practise has caused some anxiousness.
"It’s a visual pleasure for us to see the ladies practising, but the area they take up is so large," says Nguyen Dang Vinh, a badminton player in Thong Nhat Park.
He says the large and airy lots in public places have been "occupied" by women. Men have to jostle their way into narrow areas, like the small roads in the park, to play badminton. Children don’t have space to play football, so they just run around and sit together.
Some women wear very skimpy training outfits, causing many elders who exercise in the park to complain.
"They wear things that should only be worn in the bedrooms," says an old man. "The park, like other public places, is a place for people of all ages, from children to elders, so they should not be dressed like that."
Le Thu Ha, 50, from Dong Xuan Ward, says those practising aerobics should ideally wear athletic gear or swimsuits to move as easily as possible.
"But in public places, there are too many people, so older people like myself often wear shorts and pullovers. The younger women often wear tight suits," she says.
"We don’t have as many pleasures as men, so I hope the gentlemen can concede some training space to us," Ha says with a smile. "However, I will also ask the younger women to pay more attention to what they wear."
Morning exercises bring obvious benefit to everyone, especially women, and I think both sexes should give in a little, to achieve what we often say - gender equality.
