by Trinh Do

On July 3, 2005, nearly 200 Vovinam martial arts students and masters gathered at Yerba Buena High School in San Jose, California for the Sixth Annual Vovinam Demonstration and Competition Conference. Since 1999, these conferences had been held in places like San Jose, Los Angeles, and Vancouver, Canada.

At first glance, the Vovinam gathering looked like a demonstration event put together by any other major martial arts schools in the U.S. However, keen observers would notice some key differences. The participating students didn't just come from California, but from faraway places like France, Germany, Salem (Oregon) and Orlando (Florida), reflecting the Vietnamese Diaspora after 1975. While most students are Vietnamese, there are some Hispanics and French as well, reflecting the growth and adoption of the Vietnamese martial arts in many countries. The opening ceremony, with the salutation to the U.S. and Viet Nam national anthems, and a moment of silence for Vietnamese countrymen and heroes, reflects Vovinam's long tradition of patriotism and service to the country since its founding.

Vovinam and Vietnamese History
Vovinam (an abbreviation of Vo Viet Nam or Vietnamese Martial Arts) is a Vietnamese martial arts discipline founded by Grandmaster Nguyen Loc in 1938. Born in 1912 in Son Tay province, Grandmaster Nguyen Loc grew up during a time when revolutionary fervor to free Viet Nam from French colonization was at a high pitch. On one hand, many Vietnamese patriots promoted violent revolutions to overthrow the colonialists. On the other, the French colonialists tried to quell this patriotic fervor by brutally cracking down on the revolutionaries and "anesthetizing" Vietnamese youths with empty promises of freedom and luxury. Being intensely patriotic, Grandmaster Nguyen Loc didn't buy the French propaganda. At the same time, he thought the time was not yet right for revolution. Instead, he set out on his own path of finding a way for Vietnamese youths to build an indomitable spirit, strong bodies, the ability to defend themselves, and a sense of patriotism and service to their country.

With this ambitious goal, Grandmaster Nguyen Loc studied many different martial arts around the world as well as philosophy and literature. In his early 20s, he became an expert and created the Vovinam distinctive martial arts style, using traditional Vietnamese wrestling and martial arts as the foundation and adding complementary techniques from other martial arts. In 1938, Grandmaster Nguyen Loc secretly began to teach Vovinam to a group of close friends.

In naming his martial arts style "Vovinam", Grandmaster Nguyen Loc had a patriotic intention of tying the style to the country's honor. He realized early on that given the small physical stature of most Vietnamese, teaching students a particular martial arts style alone was not enough. Other than physical skills and strength, two important factors that determine victory in a fight are the determination to uphold one's honor and mental toughness. By naming the style Vovinam, the martial arts of Vieät Nam, Grandmaster Nguyen Loc wanted to instill in his students a strong sense of patriotism and the belief that any time they fought, it was to honor and protect the country. It is this sense of pride and honor that gives the Vovinam martial artists the edge they need as they enter battle (As a result of this strong belief in country and honor, Vovinam martial arts students are strictly forbidden from using their skills to enter prize fighting for as long as they remain students of the school.)

In 1939, Grandmaster Nguyen Loc and his students performed the first demonstration of Vovinam to the public at the Ha Noi Opera House with great success. In early 1940, Grandmaster Nguyen Loc was invited to open the first public Vovinam class at the Ecole Normal University in Ha Noi. Many other Vovinam classes taught by Grandmaster Nguyen Loc and his disciples were started soon after.

Since then, Vovinam students led and participated in many demonstrations against the French and colonial rule, including the demonstration at the University of Ha Noi and the Ministry of Agriculture. Consequently, the French colonial government closed all the Vovinam classes and prohibited Grandmaster Nguyen Loc from teaching Vovinam. Despite the prohibition, he still secretly taught many loyal disciples at home, and continued to lead many public demonstrations.

When the first Indochina War (1945-1954) broke out, many Vovinam students joined the Viet Minh guerrillas to fight the French colonialists. Grandmaster Nguyen Loc and his disciples traveled to many provinces to train young men and soldiers in martial arts, preparing them for the long fight for independence. During this time, many Vovinam students became commanders and soldiers in the Viet Minh Army and many lost their lives in the war. Also, two organizations were formed by Vovinam masters to train future fighters for the country, the Doan Vo Si Cam Tu (The Fearless Fighters) and the Doan Anh Hung Ngay Mai (The Heroes of Tomorrow). Other classes to train the general public on how to use machetes in guerrilla fighting were also established and run by Vovinam students.