Lam Dong and the hope of reviving traditional Vietnamese martial arts

(PLVN) - On October 6, 2025, Mr. Dinh Van Tuan - Vice Chairman of Lam Dong Provincial People's Committee signed Decision No. 1607/QD-UBND on allowing the establishment of Lam Dong Provincial Traditional Martial Arts Federation (VTCTLĐ). VTCTLĐ is based on the foundation of the merger of Binh Thuan Provincial Traditional Martial Arts Federation (old) and Lam Dong Provincial Traditional Martial Arts Federation (old), and now, many elements of Dak Nong Provincial Traditional Martial Arts (old) have gathered.

Then, on November 2, 2025, in Phan Thiet ward (Lam Dong province), VTCTLĐ organized the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Congress of Lam Dong province under the chairmanship of the Department of Culture - Sports - Tourism of the province. The congress gathered many martial arts students, coaches, martial arts masters, and Grand Masters from all over to attend...

Concerns of the congress

Master Nguyen Ho Sy, Vice President of the Vietnam Kickboxing Federation, confided: “My martial arts originate from Vietnamese traditional martial arts. But in 1993, for some unknown reason, elbow and knee strikes were banned in Vietnamese traditional martial arts. The lack of elbow and knee strikes in the offensive and defensive set of martial arts made Vietnamese traditional martial arts weak against the introduction of Muya Thai, Boxing, Kickboxing... It was not until 2021 that elbow and knee strikes were allowed to be used again...”. This martial arts master stopped talking, his eyes filled with regret.

Empathizing with that regret, Grandmaster of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts Nong Trang, Nguyen Viet Hung continued: “Muay Thai or Kun Khmer are not more special than our nation’s traditional martial arts, but when Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts banned elbow and knee strikes, the essence of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts was limited. Currently, finding a Grandmaster of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts who is proficient in the ultimate elbow and knee strikes to pass on to the younger generation is impossible...”.

Reality has proven the concern of the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Congress in Lam Dong province. Because currently very few people study and practice Traditional Martial Arts because the combativeness is not as good as Boxing, Kickboxing, Muay Thai... when they have lost elbow and knee strikes.

From 1993 to 2021, 27 years without elbow and knee strikes in Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts, this martial art lost its essence of confrontation. The Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts arena was a sad silence due to the lack of appeal of Knock'out matches. That was the basis for Muay Thai to rise to the throne...

Who revived Vietnamese traditional martial arts?

6th-degree martial arts master Luong The Dien, President of the Federation of Vietnamese Martial Arts, spoke at the first Congress of Vietnamese Martial Arts, term 2025-2030: “With the attention of the Provincial People's Committee and related departments, the Federation of Vietnamese Martial Arts pioneered the organization of the Congress to gather martial arts students, creating a forum for Grand Masters in the province to pass on the quintessence of traditional martial arts to the younger generation. Because Vietnamese traditional martial arts have followed the ancestors of Lac Hong in the process of building and defending the country...”.

Senior 7th-degree martial artist Nguyen The Vu, Vice President of the Federation of Vietnamese Martial Arts, gave a very meaningful speech and was approved by 100% of delegates: "The Federation of Vietnamese Martial Arts will try to bring Vietnamese traditional martial arts into schools within Lam Dong province."

Speaking to the Vietnam Law Newspaper, Mr. Huynh Ngoc Tam - Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Lam Dong province said: "From the 100% consensus of the delegates in the Congress. What we need to do immediately is to have a 3-party consultation session, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Department of Education and Training and the Federation of Vocational Training and Training to develop a basic project to submit to the Provincial People's Council, requesting a resolution to approve the project "Bringing Vietnamese traditional martial arts into schools in Lam Dong province". On the basis of that project, we submit to the Provincial People's Committee to issue a policy decision to bring Vietnamese traditional martial arts into the curriculum in secondary and high schools in Lam Dong province".

It is known that currently in the whole country, no province or city has organized the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Congress like Lam Dong province. Hopefully, the pioneering flag of Lam Dong province will contribute to reviving the martial art that our ancestors created in the process of building and defending the country.

5th-degree martial arts master Hoang Nam Giang, General Secretary of the Vietnam Martial Arts Federation, said:

"According to the contemporary regulations, the levels in Vietnamese traditional martial arts are: New students wear a Black belt, after training and competing, the students who pass wear a Green belt. After that is the Yellow belt, then the Red belt. Red has 7 levels, also called degrees. At the 8th degree, they wear a White belt. The White belt is also called Grand Master.

A student studies from grade 6 to 12, practices traditional martial arts for 7 years with the main curriculum of 2 periods a week, by the time he graduates from grade 12, his martial arts level can be enough to wear a Red belt.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/lam-dong-va-ky-vong-vuc-day-vo-co-truyen-viet-nam.html