Unit 10: Healthy Lifestyle And Longevity - Getting Started

Vovinam is Viet Nam’s most popular traditional form of Martial Arts. The Martial Art of Vovinam was founded by Master Nguyen Loc in 1938. He researched other Martial Arts with the intention to combine specific aspects from each into one style that would be suitable to the physique of the Vietnamese people: thin, but fast, flexible and enduring. Since 1964, the title “Viet Vo Dao” has been added, to become “Vovinam - Viet Vo Dao”. Vovinam stands for the philosophy on which Vietnamese Martial Arts depend, including the principle of Yin and Yang, or soft and hard techniques. Along with martial arts philosophies and health maintenance techniques, Vovinam provides a system of martial arts techniques that encompasses various forms of self-defence that are very effective in real life combat. Students are trained on strength, techniques, and philosophy to develop a solid body, strong endurance. Students will be living in a self-disciplined and forgiving way and become model citizens, serving oneselves, one’s family, one’s state, and mankind. Nowadays, Vovinam is very popular in Viet Nam, from big cities to small villages. It is cheap to register for a class anywhere. Students can practise with and without weapons while in combat or in daily life. It includes training of the body as well as the mind - the fighting spirit, courage, fairness, modesty, and tolerance. Above all, the morality involved in Vovinam training and the way it teaches how to apply techniques to shape the students’ character. Nowadays, Vovinam is getting popular in Europe, especially in France, since the founder developed this martial arts as a means to train Vietnamese youth against French colonialism. However, the sport is also put into effect in the U.S., Canada, Australia, Belgium, Switzerland and other countries.