VietNamNet Bridge – The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognized Binh Dinh martial art as a national intangible heritage on August 1, at the opening ceremony of the 5th International Vietnamese Traditional Martial Art Festival, held in Binh Dinh Province, where the Tay Son-Binh Dinh martial arts school was formed in the 18th century.

“Binh Dinh is one of the cradles of Vietnam’s traditional martial arts. Over time, Binh Dinh martial arts have promoted national values to become a cultural heritage. I hope that Binh Dinh province will further promote the value of Vietnam’s traditional martial arts,” said Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh.

The 5th International festival of traditional Vietnamese martial arts attracts more than 1,500 martial artists from Vietnam and 23 other countries. The first martial arts festival was held in Binh Dinh in 2006.

Many martial arts were created during 16th-17th centuries, when Vietnam was separated into several states. It was a good situation for the development of martial arts.

Many martial arts surfaced during the Tay Son Rebellion (1771-1788), the first serious attempt for unifying the country. The rebel's base was in Binh Dinh Province, which still is a place with many martial arts.

Some extended techniques included 18 different weapons forms. The best weapon forms in Binh Dinh are Sticks, Swords, Sabers, and Lances (Quyen, Con, Kiem, Dao, and Thuong).

Vo Binh Dinh has three main styles, An Thai, Thuan Truyen and An Vinh. An-Thai and An-Vinh styles were very famous empty-hand forms and Thuan-Truyen style was a famous weapon form in Binh Dinh.

Minh Nguyen