Dao Hong Son , born in 1997 in Trieu Khuc (Thanh Xuan, Hanoi ), is the number one jiujitsu athlete in Vietnam.
He has won two gold medals at the SEA Games 31 and 32, and was crowned world jiujitsu champion in 2022. In 2024, Hong Son caused a sensation when he only needed 17 seconds to win by "submission" (locks and chokes) in his first MMA (mixed martial arts) competition.
Success from a journey of wrestling to earn extra income.
Over the years, Dao Hong Son has also been a name that has attracted attention in wrestling arenas during post-Tet (Lunar New Year) festivals in the northern region.
By 2025, he created an unprecedented sensation in wrestling arenas by inviting world bronze medalist Zakhar Dzmitrychenka (Belarus) to join him on his "conquering" journey through numerous village festivals.
Speaking to Tuoi Tre Online , Hong Son said: "Coming from the cradle of Trieu Khuc, I have participated in many wrestling matches during festivals for about 15 years."
I've been shooting and uploading videos online for a long time. But only this year have I been able to ramp it up because I've become more proficient in shooting, editing, and creating unique videos that can trend.
After several years of filming wrestling matches, I became known to many international friends. They were interested and proactively messaged me asking how they could participate. From there, I had the opportunity to bring foreign wrestler Zakhar along to participate in wrestling festivals."
Speaking further about his motivation for "sweeping" the wrestling arenas, the male jiujitsu athlete frankly shared that the prize money at wrestling arenas during this period could equal a year's worth of competition earnings for a professional athlete.
"Many villages organize well-structured wrestling matches, complete with an organizing committee, a panel of referees using VAR technology (video replay), a drum team, and hundreds to thousands of spectators surrounding the wrestling ring."
"In particular, some villages offer very large prizes. The prize money can be equivalent to a year's worth of competition for a professional athlete. So, this is really an opportunity for me and a few other athletes to earn extra income."
Belarusian wrestler Zakhar Dzmitrychenka caused a sensation when he challenged Vietnamese traditional wrestling rings - Photo: GRAPPLING VIETNAM
Preserving the beauty of national culture.
Income isn't the only thing that motivates Hong Son to create social media content about wrestling matches.
Because he was nurtured with a sense of national culture in his hometown of Trieu Khuc - an ancient place that still preserves many traditional national cultural features and village festivals that have been recognized as national intangible cultural heritage.
Son said: "My primary thought is still to preserve the cultural beauty of traditional Vietnamese folk art. There are many interesting things to learn about it."
A prime example is the "se dai" dance performed before each match, a form of religious practice. Three steps forward, three steps back, a ritual offering to the village temple; three steps sideways, symbolizing the strength and lineage of the warriors.
Hidden within that dance, the dancers showcased their strength, technique, and even their origins.
There are several distinctive dances such as "flowers blooming in spring," "dragon flying, phoenix dancing," often performed by men from the Kinh Bac and former Ha Tay regions; the "casting and pulling nets" dance, which is clearly from the riverine areas, mostly from Thanh Nghe Tinh; and the "tiger pouncing on prey" dance, often performed by men from mountainous regions, Phu Tho and Vinh Phuc.
Athlete Dao Hong Son contributes to promoting the cultural aspects of traditional Vietnamese wrestling - Photo: FBNV/SPORTS & ENTERTAINMENT
"The techniques in traditional wrestling also require wrestlers to be skillful, applying many techniques and even cunning during matches. It's not the case that a wrestler being big and strong guarantees victory."
"For example, in Chau Phong village (Dong Anh, Hanoi), Mr. Zakhar couldn't win despite being bigger and stronger than the Vietnamese boxer who had nearly 10 years of experience winning the Vietnamese championship," Son said.
During the post-Lunar New Year festival, Dao Hong Son and his friends contributed to making the wrestling arenas more vibrant, thereby also showcasing many long-standing traditions in places such as Ngo Sai, Cat Que, Dong Ky, Co Loa, Ninh Hiep, Chi Dong, Den Do, Trieu Khuc, and Chau Phong.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/vo-si-dao-hong-son-and-the-journey-to-move-the-stones-during-the-festival-of-Tet-2025-20250212174356202.htm
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