Hanoians share love in International Free Hugs Day

Held by Free Hugs Hanoi under the theme “Yeu thuong xin dung de do - Free Hugs Time” (Do not keep your love in silent - Free Hugs Time), the event, in its fifth year, offered a bridge for strangers to freely express their love through sincere hugs, thus helping young people understand more about the sharing and spread of emotions in the community.

According to the organizing board, do not be afraid to show your emotion to whom you love in a simple but special way: a tight embrace will be an invisible bridge connecting hearts, appeasing smoldering sadness, and sharing the inmost feelings, it is much more powerful than millions of winged words and more valuable than the mountains of expensive gifts.

Started in 2004 with the hugs of Juan Mamn - a lonely Australian man, the Free Hugs movement has spread all over Australia, even to Americas, and to Vietnam. It has attracted the attention and support of not only open-hearted people willing to share, or lonely hearts needing solace but also those who are looking for a better life.

The campaign became internationally famous in 2006 after a music video on YouTube by the Australian band Sick Puppies went viral and has been viewed over 74 million times. It occurs at every 3rd Sunday of July./.