
The culture of Vietnam is as steeped in martial arts as any throughout Asia, and while Vietnam lays claim to numerous indigenous martial arts forms of its own, one is by far the best known of all – that being the art of Vovinam, or Viet Vo Dao.
Literally translated as “Martial Arts of Vietnam”, Vovinam is a contemporary compendium of Vietnam’s martial arts lineage first created in the 1930’s.
For KFK, a deep dive into the history of Vovinam is a must, so saddle up for another adventure KFK fans as we break down our latest Martial Art of the Month, Vovinam!
Origins
Like many martial arts practiced in modern times, Vovinam is a modernized synthesis of the traditional martial arts of its culture, and was first assembled by Nguyen Loc in 1938, during France’s occupation of Vietnam.
Loc had long been an exponent of Vietnamese martial arts since childhood, Nguyen Loc combined this knowledge with various martial arts disciplines originating from China and Japan.
By the early 1940’s, Vovinam had grown wildly in popularity across Vietnam, though Nguyen Loc would sadly not be able to see the full scope of its growth after falling ill and passing away in 1960.
Prior to his death, Loc passed the mantle of Vovinam’s figurehead instructor to his close student, Le Sang, who eventually came to be recognized in the Vovinam world as Grandmaster Le Sang, who continued Noc’s work of spreading the art of Vovinam across the globe before his passing in 2010.
Thanks to the dedication of Nguyen Loc and Grandmaster Le Sang, their shared vision of Vovinam spreading throughout Vietnam and the wider world has indeed come to pass.
Techniques
Owing to both its indigenous Vietnamese origins and the added influence of Chinese and Japanese martial arts, Vovinam is a very eclectic martial art.
Fans of the striking arts will find a dynamic collection of kicks and hand strikes in the Vovinam arsenal, with the art also including a collection of beautiful forms, many bearing the influence of animal movements.
Additionally, Vovinam is also well-versed in many grappling techniques primarily predicated on wrestling, while Vovinam training also includes a wide array of different weapons, including swords, staffs, spears, knives, and many others.
Arguably the signature technique of Vovinam also illustrates is hybridized nature, that being the jaw-dropping scissor leg takedown to the opponent’s head.
Like Vovinam as a whole, the scissor leg takedown to the head combines virtually every facet of martial arts – striking, kicking, grappling, and a touch of flashiness – all in one package.
Vovinam Uniform and Ranking
Like most martial arts systems, Vovinam includes a distinctive and unmistakable uniform all its own.
First codified in the early ‘90s, Vovinam practitioners wear a blue uniform similar to that of a traditional karate gi. However, Vovinam’s belt system is particularly unique as well.
Rather than beginning at white belt like most belt-guided martial arts disciplines, the beginner Vovinam student wears a blue belt, meant to symbolize the blue expanse of the ocean, and the journey new students are embarking upon in crossing the sea that is Vovinam.
Blue belts new to Vovinam typically wear a lightly colored blue belt and hold the distinction of “Tu Ve”, or Novice, while more experienced blue belts carry a darker shade of blue on their belts and hold the title of “Lam Dai”, or Practitioner.
Yellow, meanwhile, is Vovinam’s equivalent to black belt, with Yellow standing for the Earth, and the solid ground that a Vovinam practitioner stands on in their now strong skill level in their art.
Vovinam yellow belts are recognized as “Haong Dai”, or instructors, and at this point of their training, are considered qualified to supervise the training of new Vovinam students.
Vovinam students can still progress to even higher levels, with Vovinam’s red belt exemplifying blood, indicating the depth of the student’s knowledge, with red belts classified as “Hong Dai”, or Master.
While white belt is usually the rank of a beginner in a given martial art, Vovinam’s white belt designates it as the highest rank within the art, with white representing the color of the bones, and the ultimate depth of internalized knowledge of Vovinam, reflected in Vovinam’s white belt title of “Bach Dai”, or Grandmaster.
Practitioners You May Know
Like many martial arts disciplines, Vovinam has become much more popular in modern times through its representation in popular media, and the Vietnamese film industry has played no small part in that.
2007’s “The Rebel” is credited for exploding awareness of Vovinam to an international audience.
Leading man Johnny Tri Nguyen had previously made a splash in fight scenes against Jet Li and Tony Jaa in “Cradle 2 the Grave” and “Tom Yum Goong” respectively, and with “The Rebel”, Johnny helped bring Vovinam to a whole new level of international prominence, while also helping making Vietnam a new hotbed of martial arts filmmaking, as well. And he wasn’t alone in doing so in “The Rebel”.
Johnny’s co-star in “The Rebel”, Veronica Ngo, was already a well-known pop star in Vietnam, but “The Rebel” made her into an action star on the level of Michelle Yeoh.
Funnily enough, Veronica had no previous martial arts experience before joining “The Rebel”, and was trained in Vovinam specifically for her role in the film.
Despite having the work around a broken foot in the final weeks of production, Veronica’s performance in “The Rebel” was every bit as vital in bringing Vovinam to the world stage as Johnny’s.
Veronica has since gone to showcase her genuine skill in Vovinam in many popular martial arts films, including the 2010 “Clash” alongside Johnny Tri Nguyen once more, 2019’s monster hit “Furie”, its 2023 prequel “Furies”, and the medieval martial arts flick “The Princess”.
Through the dedication of millions of Vovinam students around the world, along with its use in martial arts films by stars like Johnny Tri Nguyen and Veronica Ngo, Vovinam has grown more popular than ever in the 21st century.
So that about wraps up KFK’s Martial Art of the Month breakdown for Vovinam! Stay tuned for next month’s column!