The circus act "Moment of Love" by the artist duo Hien Phuoc - Thanh Hoa has just won the Grand Prix at the 2024 Yakutia International Circus Festival (Russia), from June 28 to 30.

Vietnamese circus is famous.

The Yakutia International Circus Festival 2024 is part of the international circus arts festival held every four years. This year's competition brings together nearly 100 circus performers from 12 countries around the world such as China, Mongolia, Vietnam, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan... The artist couple Hien Phuoc - Thanh Hoa brings fame to Vietnamese circus arts in the international arena.

As close performing partners, Hien Phuoc - Thanh Hoa (working at the Southern Arts Theater in Ho Chi Minh City) have accompanied each other in practice, performance and competition everywhere in the past time. The artist couple has won many awards such as: Gold Medal at the Almaty International Circus Festival 2023; Silver Medal at the International Circus Festival in Russia; Silver Medal at the International Circus Festival in Bulgaria, excellent performance at the Great Wall International Circus Festival... In 2023 and 2024, the performance "Moment of Love" was praised at many major festivals around the world.

Meritorious Artist Le Dien, Director of the Southern Arts Theater, said that the performance that just won the Grand Prix at the 2024 Yakutia International Circus Festival, by the artist duo Hien Phuoc - Thanh Hoa, is very meaningful because of its high level of difficulty, harmoniously combining technical and artistic elements. "Both are examples for the younger generation to follow. Because no matter how hard or difficult it is, the two of you always try to practice, always try to take advantage of opportunities to show off your abilities" - Meritorious Artist Le Dien commented.

This is the second time Vietnamese circus artists have won the Grand Prix. Previously, Quoc Co - Quoc Nghiep won this award with the performance "Strength of Hands" at the 2011 International Circus Festival in La Habana, Cuba.

Creative persistence

Artists Hien Phuoc and Thanh Hoa have been practicing the performance "Moment of Love" since 2016 and have competed in domestic and international festivals. Both have tried their best to practice and create new moves and new content for future performances. Therefore, thanks to the strong impression, this performance has been invited by the organizers of circus competitions around the world.

Artist Thanh Hoa (34 years old), from Binh Dinh, and artist Hien Phuoc (33 years old), were born into a family with three generations of circus artists. It is the connection from the heart of love for the profession that has helped them continuously reap success. The two artists were honored as "Outstanding Young Citizens of Ho Chi Minh City" (2019).

Both have also experienced occupational accidents. Hien Phuoc once hammered two nails into his left hand after slipping after an acrobatic performance, and Thanh Hoa was bedridden after a stretching exercise. Despite facing such occupational risks, they are not discouraged and constantly strive for their careers. If they are not competing internationally, the artist couple regularly attends the circus tent of the Phuong Nam Art Theater in Gia Dinh Park (HCMC) on weekends. The couple's unique and daring performances have won the hearts of the audience. "We always practice hard, concentrate highly when performing and calmly overcome dangers. It's all because of passion, because of the goal of serving the public" - Hien Phuoc confided.

In addition to technical exercises, the couple also trains their physical strength every day with speed running, long jumps, pull-ups, and push-ups. Even when they arrive in a foreign country, despite the cold weather, they still practice to have enough strength to compete.