Parkour and freerunning first hit Vietnam in 2007, providing young city dwellers the chance to traverse the narrow streets, alleys and rooftops of Hanoi in gravity-defying fashion.

Pham Xuan Lam, 24, nickname Rua (turtle), was inspired to join the movement after watching James Bond epic "Casino Royale. Now, after 11 years, he leads the Highnoy parkour team, consisting of 10 members aged 21 to 24.

"'Highnoy is the name given to the city by a foreign friend, which we adopted since it is easy to pronounce. At first, I formed a big group, then scaled down the numbers to the current 10 brothers to effectively exchange training tips," Lam said.