VietNamNet Bridge - A Belarusian gym trainer is showing Hanoians that it’s not just motorbikes that hail from his home city of Minsk.

While Hanoi’s famous Minsk Motorbike Club has the slogan “In Minsk We Trust”, it’s the capital’s gym goers that are now putting their faith in a Belarusian export.

Twenty three year old Yury Miankovich is back in Vietnam working for NShape Gym at the Vuon Xuan building on Nguyen Chi Thanh Street in Dong Da. It follows a year in China and a summer in Thailand.

His Thai summer was spent studying for accreditation with the American Council on Exercise. It’s a qualification that’s almost unheard of in Vietnam, a country still getting to grips with the fitness industry.

Originally Yury came to Hanoi three years ago and admits much has changed.

“In those days the work I did was all personal training as there wasn’t anywhere like NShape then. The larger international hotels had small but expensive gyms but that was all.”

Yury’s time in Vietnam and China are a result of his studies in learning both languages. Now back in Hanoi for “at least a year” he’s happy to be reacquainting himself with the city.

“Hanoi is a city that it’s hard to say goodbye to,” he says. “It’s just a place that gets into your blood. I’ve returned to find that some foreign friends have left but that’s expat life. Working in the gym, is a great way to make new friends.”

Yury admits, however, that his home city can cause confusion with locals.

“On a couple of occasions I’ve been told that Minsk is not a city, it’s a motorbike,” he says. “I’ve had to explain it’s both”.

Now Yury is keen to put Minsk on the map for a reason besides the legendary motorbike. However, like bike enthusiasts, it’s all about the bodywork.

He’s putting his new accreditation to good use at NShape fitness teaching pilates classes and another inspired by international gym-favourite Body Pump – which uses aerobic exercises alongside weights.

NShape director Nguyen Diem Hoa welcomed Yury’s return saying: “We’re delighted he’s back. He’s a well-liked person and a respected and dedicated trainer. In Yury we trust.”

PV