The 4^th World Vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts) Championship opened at the Harcha Hasen Sport Complex in the capital city of Algiers, Algeria, drawing 200 participating contestants from 18 countries, including 22 contenders from Viet Nam.

Attending the inauguration ceremony were Algerian Minister of Youth and Sports Mohamed Oueld Ali, Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Vu The Hiep, Deputy Chairman of the World Vovinam Federation (WVFF) Nguyen Van Chieu and Chairman of the Algerian Vovinam Federation (FAVV) Djouadj Mohamed.

After 77 years of development, Vovinam has grown significantly. It is currently practiced in 12 African countries and has developed considerably since the African Vovinam Federation (AVF) was established in 2012. In Algeria alone, there are more than 22,000 practitioners in 30 of the country’s 48 provinces and cities.

Vietnamese Ambassador Vu The Hiep highlighted that the championship helps strengthen understanding and friendship between Vietnamese people and others while contributing to popularising Vietnamese martial arts to the world.

The Vietnamese team pocketed three gold medals on the first day of the tournament.

(Source: VNA)