Vovinam

Vovinam
Vovinam demonstration in France in 2014
Also known asViệt Võ Đạo, VVN, VVN/VVD
FocusHybrid
HardnessFull-contact
Country of origin Vietnam
CreatorNguyễn Lộc
Famous practitionersLê Sáng (Grandmaster)
ParenthoodVietnamese martial arts, Vietnamese traditional wrestling
Olympic sportNo
Official websiteNo

Vovinam (short for Võ Việt Nam, meaning "Vietnamese Martial Arts"), officially known as Việt Võ Đạo (越武道, meaning "Vietnamese Way of Martial Arts") is a Vietnamese martial art[1] founded in 1938 by Nguyễn Lộc. It is based on traditional Vietnamese eclectic sources.

Vovinam, based on the principle of "hard and soft", involves the use of strikes, elbows, kicks, knees, and wrestling moves, as well as weapons such as swords, knives, chisels, claws and fans that serve as training devices for reaching optimal control of body and mind. Students also learn defense techniques and forms. Amongst Vietnamese martial arts, Vovinam is the largest and most developed with more than 60 schools around the world, including Poland, Belgium, Canada, Cambodia, Denmark, Germany, the United States, Morocco, Norway, Russia, France, Romania, Switzerland, Sweden, Singapore, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Italy, Australia, India, Pakistan, Iran, Spain, Algeria, Taiwan and Greece, among others.[2]

  1. ^ Matthew Knight; Natasha Maguder. "Nguyen Van Chieu: Vietnam's martial arts missionary". CNN. Retrieved 14 April 2017.
  2. ^ Thuỷ, Phương (17 October 2007). "Đại hội thành lập Liên đoàn Vovinam Việt Nam". THỂ DỤC THỂ THAO VIỆT NAM.