They will vie for 44 sets of medals in both performance and combat events at the week-long festival.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee Phan Van Mai said the championship offers a venue for domestic and international martial artists to share experience, and get a better insight into the land and people of Vietnam – the homeland of Vovinam.

Meanwhile, President of the World Vovinam Federation Mai Huu Tin, among 70 countries and territories practicing Vovinam, 51 have representatives in the federation.

The federation will further efforts to popularise the cultural values of Vietnam among international friends, he added.

Vovinam has been named a national intangible heritage under a decision recently signed by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The traditional martial art form was founded by late master Nguyen Loc in 1938 in Hanoi. It has been preserved, promoted and developed strongly by generations of martial art masters.

The World Vovinam Federation was established in 2008, a milestone in the development of the martial art form around the world, with continental federation members in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Regionally, Vovinam was included in many SEA Games editions. It was an official sport of the 31st Games in Vietnam in 2022 and 32nd Games in Cambodia this May.

Currently, Vovinam is practised by more than 2.5 million martial artists from about 70 countries and territories.

In Vietnam, Vovinam is expected to have athletes in all 63 cities and province. The martial art will be introduced and pushed in schools.

The Vietnam Vovinam Federation plans to build a Vovinam Academy in HCM City to offer training for not only Vietnamese but also international martial art lovers.

At the same time a dossier of Vovinam will be submitted to the UNESCO for recognition as a world intangible heritage./.VNA