Vovinam-Viet Vo Dao, a physical education subject at FPT University, has just been recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage.
On November 10, 2023, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung signed a decision to include Vovinam-Viet Vo Dao in the list of national intangible cultural heritage at the request of the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee and the Department of Cultural Heritage.
This is a Vietnamese traditional martial art founded by the late master Nguyen Loc in 1938 in Hanoi and preserved, promoted, and developed strongly by generations of masters.
Currently, Vovinam is performed in more than 70 countries and territories, contributing to introducing the image of the country and people of Vietnam to international friends. During the development, Vovinam constantly improved so that more and more people could approach the essence of Vietnamese martial arts.
At FPT University, Vovinam is a required physical education subject. A freshman has to wear a traditional blue martial arts uniform and learn the most basic techniques. Those who have good performances could be nourished with more difficult techniques, such as fighting and performing with swords or sticks.
In 2018, more than 8,000 students performed Vovinam together, setting the record for “the largest Vovinam dojo in Vietnam” at five campuses of FPT University.
Vovinam is also included in the contest list for the SEA Games. The most recent are two consecutive seasons: SEA Games 31 in Vietnam in 2022 and SEA Games 32 in Cambodia in 2023. On November 22, the 2023 Vovinam World Championship will be held in Ho Chi Minh City, attracting contestants from 35 countries to attend.
The Vietnam Vovinam Federation is opening the Global Vovinam Academy in Ho Chi Minh City and also completing the registration for UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization) to recognize Vovinam as an intangible cultural heritage of human beings.