Binh Dinh martial arts

Article and photos:NSNA Dao Tien Dat (EVAPA, EFIAP...)

Every two years, since the first time held in 2006, each International Festival of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts in Binh Dinh is an opportunity to "return" to the homeland of martial arts for martial arts masters, students and lovers of Vietnamese traditional martial arts in the country and around the world. Most recently, the 4th International Festival of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts in 2012 in Binh Dinh gathered about 1,500 martial arts masters and students of 69 groups from 27 countries and territories and 28 domestic martial arts groups. Regardless of skin color or nationality, all were united in their love of martial arts, performing the martial arts masterpieces of each school in the spirit of exchange and learning.

Following history, with time and the exchange between schools, crystallizing the superiority of each martial art and martial school, during the Tay Son period (1778 - 1802), Vietnamese traditional martial arts developed extremely prosperously and brilliantly, built into a martial arts system used for training, examinations, and fighting to repel foreign invaders. It is not without emotion to witness martial arts masters and students from French, Italian, Russian groups... lighting incense sticks and respectfully bowing before the Tay Son Tam Kiet shrine. Only then can we understand that the love and attraction of Vietnamese traditional martial arts is the driving force that helps them overcome geographical and linguistic distances to gather together in the martial arts festival in their homeland of Binh Dinh - the birthplace of the cloth-clad hero Quang Trung - Nguyen Hue, the emperor who is revered as the founder by many generations of Vietnamese traditional martial arts schools.

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Thanks to the efforts to invest in upgrading the facilities of martial arts schools and building roads to famous martial arts schools in Binh Dinh province, international martial arts groups have the opportunity to exchange and demonstrate martial arts during the festival, thereby opening up the potential to develop a special type of tourism: martial arts tourism! People can see the old martial arts master Phan Tho (Tay Son), now over 80 years old, performing the powerful Ngu Trao martial arts move as in his youth! The famous Thuan Truyen whip of the late Grand Master Ho Nganh, who once roamed the martial arts world, is preserved and taught to his disciples by the true master Ho Sung.

The ladies of Hoa My village, Binh Thuan commune, Tay Son district performed whip moves during the international exchange at Ho Sung martial arts school, making the audience remember the famous song of the past.Thuan Truyen whip, An Thai power! GoodAn Thai boys, An Vinh girls.Le Xuan Canh martial arts school (An Nhon) with chess pieces as martial artists in the "Human Chess" match is a unique creation in martial arts with literature, in literature with martial arts of Binh Dinh traditional martial arts. The monks of Long Phuoc Pagoda, Tuy Phuoc district, chanting sutras day and night, suddenly became martial arts masters with amazing punches that made the audience ecstatic and amazed. The endless applause cheered the performance of flying like arrows by the masters of Tinh Vo Dao International Italia at Long Phuoc Pagoda Club.(This photo series won the Second Prize of the Photographic Society of America - PSA in 2012).

Who goes to Binh Dinh to see
Binh Dinh girls put down the whip and use their fists.

The old folk song is a unique symbol of the martial spirit of Binh Dinh people.

The Tay Son ladies performed whip moves in the international exchange, making the audience remember the famous song of the past: Roi Thuan Truyen, Quyen An Thai! Or Trai An Thai, Gai An Vinh... The monks of Long Phuoc Pagoda, who chanted prayers day and night, suddenly became martial arts masters with amazing moves that made the audience ecstatic and amazed.

And it is easy to understand why female martial artist Valeriya Ryabova, Tinh Vo Dao sect (Russia) on the night of the coronation of Miss International Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts 2012 at the Closing Ceremony of the International Festival of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts, confided: “The attraction and sacredness of coming to the land considered the cradle of traditional Vietnamese martial arts for the first time motivated me to come to the next 3 festivals.".