Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam beat the drum to kick off the first international Vietnamese traditional martial arts championship – Thang Long Cup, at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Gymnasium in Ha Noi on August 9.

Deputy ​PM Vu Duc Dam beats the drum to kick off the ​1st international Vietnamese traditional martial arts championship. (Photo: baochinhphu.vn)

The event was jointly organised by the Viet Nam Olympic Committee; the Ha Noi Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism; and the Viet Nam Traditional Martial Art Federation through August 11.

The event, the largest-ever of its kind, brought together 29 international teams and the host.

In his opening remarks, Vice President of the Olympic Council of Asia Hoang Vinh GIang, who is also Vice President of the Viet Nam Olympic Committee and President of the Viet Nam Traditional Martial Art Federation, said the Vietnamese traditional martial arts are national heritages, born and developed throughout the country’s history of fighting against invaders.

It is not only a practice which Vietnamese people use to stay physically healthy and for self-defence but also a way to educate them in patriotism and national pride, Giang noted.

The event aims to preserve a part of the nation’s traditional culture and spirit of martial arts, he said, hoping that the Vietnamese traditional martial arts would be introduced globally.

During the championship, martial art athletes will compete in five events of performance and combat.

Previously, the World Federation of Viet Nam Traditional Martial Arts (WFVV) was officially launched in a congress on August 8 in Ha Noi with a hope to help introduce the Vietnamese martial arts around the world.

The congress approved the WFVV’s regulations and action plan for the first tenure of the 2015-2020 period while some 56 individuals were also selected for its executive board. Hoang Vinh Giang was elected as WFVV President.

(Source: VNA)