Why has the President of the Vietnam Boxing Federation been absent for many months? What should VBF do?

Yesterday, September 4, the Vietnamese martial arts community was "stirred up" by the news that the President of the Vietnam Boxing Federation (VBF), Luu Tu Bao, had been absent for many months, not directly managing the work and may be facing legal trouble.

Unable to contact the VBF President.

Amid conflicting reports, the Vietnam Sports Department requested an emergency meeting of the VBF Standing Committee on the afternoon of September 4th to investigate and resolve the issue, and to report to the relevant authorities. The VBF also hoped that Mr. Luu Tu Bao, as a member of the VBF Standing Committee, would attend. However, for various reasons, the VBF President was absent.

Mr. Luu Tu Bao has been in the US for 7 months and has not yet returned to Vietnam.

PHOTO: FBNV

At the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung, Vice President and General Secretary of VBF, shared that the information published by foreign news outlets regarding Mr. Luu Tu Bao's involvement in a drug trafficking case was unverified. Mr. Hung stated that in their most recent phone call in early August 2025, Mr. Bao mentioned being involved in another legal case in the US that was being resolved. A noteworthy detail from this conversation was Mr. Bao's commitment to ensuring sufficient funding for VBF's operations. However, Mr. Hung has been unable to contact Mr. Bao since then. The VBF Standing Committee proposed that Mr. Nguyen Duy Hung request Mr. Luu Tu Bao to send a letter of authorization to hand over his duties.

Today, the VBF Executive Committee met to hear a report on the incident from the Standing Committee and to plan future work in the absence of Mr. Luu Tu Bao. The VBF will submit a full report to the Ministry of Interior and seek written guidance to ensure the matter is handled in accordance with the law and organizational regulations. Following the meeting, the VBF will also issue a press release to the media and fans.

The sports sector has also requested that Vietnamese authorities verify information related to the VBF President. In the unfortunate event that this is not resolved, the VBF will likely have to hold an early general assembly to elect a new president. At the 2023-2028 general assembly, Mr. Luu Tu Bao was elected president with an overwhelming majority of votes.

Mr. Luu Tu Bao, born in 1976, holds dual Vietnamese and American citizenship. Besides serving as President of the VBF, he is also the President of the Ho Chi Minh City Mixed Martial Arts Federation (2022-2027), President of the Saigon Sports Club, and has organized numerous domestic and international martial arts events in Vietnam over the past nine years. He returned to the United States at the end of February 2025 to attend to family matters and has not returned to Vietnam since.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/vi-sao-chu-tich-lien-doan-quyen-anh-viet-nam-vang-mat-nhieu-thang-nay-vbf-phai-lam-gi-185250904234425923.htm