Vietnam Taekwondo Federation takes action against parent who accused coach of beating child with bamboo stick

Speaking to Thanh Nien Online on January 12th, Mr. Nguyen Thanh Huy, Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation (VTF), said that the VTF had just received a complaint from Mr. NTH, residing in Hoa Xuan Ward, Cam Le District, Da Nang City, regarding his child, NTNM, being beaten by a coach during taekwondo training.

The image shows NTNM with a red mark on her chest, taken by her parents who accused her coach of beating her during taekwondo training.

The complaint specifically states the following (verbatim): "My son studied and trained from December 1, 2023 to January 10, 2025 at the SEUNG RI TAEKWONDO TEAM (Club Code: CLB_00349; Address: 151/1 Ho Nguyen Truong Street, Khue Trung Ward, Cam Le District, Da Nang City) where Mr. Nguyen Van Kin is the head coach and also the club's chairman."

On the evening of January 9, 2025, I picked my nephew up from the martial arts club's training location (151/1 Ho Nguyen Truong Street, Khue Trung Ward, Cam Le District, Da Nang City). When we got home, he said that the club's head coach, Nguyen Van Kin, had hit him on both thighs with a bamboo stick, and the assistant coach, named Quy, had hit him on the buttocks and chest with the side of a training stick (chicken leg) while he was lying on his side (practicing leg kicks). He was in so much pain that he tried to sit up, but Quy kicked him straight in the back with his heel, leaving him sprawled on the ground.

A close-up view of the injuries sustained by NTNM, the child whose parents allege were caused by the coach's beating.

I immediately used my phone to take photos of all the marks on the child's body (with specific locations and times on each photo) and reported the serious child abuse to the Da Nang city hotline. At the same time, I took the child to the Khue Trung Ward police station for questioning. The Khue Trung Ward police instructed me to take the child to the hospital for examination of the injuries. After the examination, I took the child back to the Khue Trung Ward police station, where they took a detailed statement from the child. At the hospital and during questioning, the child repeatedly complained to the investigators about severe pain in the buttocks. I provided the phone number of Coach Nguyen Van Kin as requested by the police, and they called Coach Nguyen Van Kin and his assistant, Coach Quy, to come in for questioning.

On the morning of January 10, 2025, my grandchild said that she couldn't sleep all night, experiencing aches and pains all over her body, especially her buttocks. Since then, she has suffered from severe psychological distress, constantly fearing being beaten by the coach and assistant coach when she goes back to martial arts classes, fearing being beaten by other students from this club at school when her father clarifies the situation, and fearing being beaten when she encounters the coach and assistant coach again at the Khue Trung Ward police station. I have had to constantly comfort and encourage her, and I have also transferred her to another club for training.

The injuries on NTNM's back are believed to be the result of being beaten by the coach.

On the evening of January 10, 2025, I checked my child's body again and saw that the heel marks on his back were still visible; I took photos of them. I had witnessed many times at the club's old location (88A Huy Can Street, Khue Trung Ward, Cam Le District, Da Nang City) Coach Nguyen Van Kin and his assistant coaches using bamboo whips made from broom handles or plastic water pipes to beat martial arts students when they performed movements incorrectly. Lower-ranked students were beaten more lightly than higher-ranked students, including my child. I had previously advised the coach that using whips in this way was offensive, unprofessional, and violated the physical integrity of children, but the coach did not heed my advice.

My child often comes home from school telling me that Coach Kin whips him so badly, almost every training session involves whipping, and most martial arts students are beaten. His mother asked me to transfer him to another club, but because I hesitated and felt obligated, he was beaten like that. The brutal beating of a defenseless child, especially in a prone position, is an inhumane and thuggish act by Coach Nguyen Van Kin and his assistant, Quy. They have trampled on the child's dignity and severely violated his physical integrity.

We respectfully request that the leaders of the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation and the Inspection Committee of the Vietnam Taekwondo Federation (VTF) permanently remove this club, as well as coach Nguyen Van Kin and assistant coach Quy, from the lifeblood of Vietnamese Taekwondo. This also serves as a warning to all Taekwondo coaches nationwide not to treat students, especially children, brutally, beat them, or trample on their dignity.

Mr. NTH further shared: "Previously, my child studied Taekwondo at the An Hai Bac Club (Da Nang) with Master Thien (a martial arts master, 5th Dan, who has passed away) and assistant coach Le Tuan Vu. The training lasted over 5 years (including the period during the pandemic) and he achieved a 1st Dan black belt. Afterward, our family moved, so I brought him to study at the Seung Ri Club from December 1st, 2023 to the present, where he has achieved a 2nd Dan black belt. He is a gentle, well-behaved, and small child. I am very upset that he was brutally beaten simply because he performed a martial arts move incorrectly, and the assistant coach who beat him so brutally was also a 2nd Dan black belt."

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Huy stated that the VTF Inspection Committee and Communications Committee have become involved and are currently discussing and working with relevant parties to understand the situation clearly and take appropriate action.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lien-doan-taekwondo-viet-nam-vao-cuoc-vu-phu-huynh-to-con-bi-hlv-danh-bang-roi-tre-185250112215027441.htm