The biggest Vietnamese martial art festival in history has kicked off in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with the participation of 365 trainers and athletes from 24 countries and territories.

Tran Anh Tuan (left) is announced winner of the World Vovinam Championship's men's 54kg class. (Source: baothanhoa.vn)

The sixth World Vovinam Championship is being held from 16-22 December.

Athletes are competing for 44 sets of medals in both performance and combat events.

Viet Nam won a gold by Tran Anh Tuan in the men's 54kg category on December 18, his third world championship.

Organisers said despite being home to the sport, Viet Nam will find it tough going to defend their top position because global athletes have made remarkable progress recently.

Algeria, France, Iran, Myanmar and the hosts are all threats this year.

Vovinam has been developed for 81 years and spread widely to the world with more than 2 million people practising in nearly 60 countries.

Apart from regional, continental and world championships, Vovinam has been part of the Asian Beach Games and Asian Indoor Games, among others.

(Source: VNA)