VietNamNet Bridge – The practice of martial arts, an integral part of Vietnamese culture, is still being preserved and developed after decades of existence. Ngoc Phuong reports.

Power pose: Martial artists engage in close combat -- VNS Photo Minh Tho

In the cool weather of the first days of the Lunar New Year, the screams of students practising martial arts could be heard during a quiet afternoon at a local pagoda in Quy Nhon City in the central coastal province of Binh Dinh.

A class of about 40 students were practicing under the guidance of 65-year-old Trinh Ngoc Thanh in the pagoda’s spacious yard.

The afternoon’s last rays of sunshine shone on the uniforms of the students, aged 8-15, all of them focused on a martial posture that had just been taught.

“This is the foundation class. Normally my club has more students, but it’s still Lunar New Year holiday, so students have yet to come back to class,” Thanh said.

The club has nearly 150 members who take part in almost all the martial events organised by the province.

Thanh said that he had started practising martial arts when he was 10 years old and began teaching at age 30.

His two sons and many other students have become martial art masters who are now spreading the practice to the next generation.

Dang Quoc Tuan said that he had sent his son to the class to improve his health and to instill bravery. He wanted his son to learn how to protect himself and other people, he said.

Binh Dinh’s men and women have long been famous for their ability in the martial spirits. The females are especially renowned for their skills.

All Vietnamese people know the folk verse: “Come to Binh Dinh to see local girls perform martial arts”.

Although petite, Nguyen Thi My Hong, 24, has practised martial arts since she was nine years old.

Hong said that when she was nine, she was thin and weak, and had to deal with a school bully.

After her father decided to send her to a martial arts class, she became much stronger and braver.

“Thanks to the practice, I can have both physical and mental strength,” Hong added.

Hong said that she would recommend the practice of martial arts to her children in the future.

Hang, a master of the Binh Dinh Traditional Martial Arts Centre under the provincial Department of Sports, Culture and Tourism, said that both men and women were equally capable of practising martial arts.

In some cases, females have more advantages than males because of their stamina and body structure.

The number of female students at the centre accounts for around one-third of the classes, according to Hang.

Hong said that her master began his class by teaching about the martial spirit, which includes patience, calm and an iron will.

Besides teaching martial postures, Thanh also gives guidance on how to be a good person, which can enhance their confidence and willingness to face any circumstance in daily life.

Thanks to masters like Thanh, Hang and others who love martial arts, the activity has been well-preserved in Binh Dinh.

The provincial authorities’ policies have helped to maintain the tradition.

Last July, the People’s Committee of the province approved a plan to teach the arts in extracurricular classes in local schools from the 2015-16 academic year.

Last year, the Binh Dinh Traditional Martial Arts Centre trained 950 physical education teachers to teach and open martial arts clubs in local schools, said Bui Trung Hieu, director of the centre.

The centre is now developing a project to preserve the Binh Dinh traditional martial arts in the 2015-20 period, with a vision to 2030.

The centre plans to co-operate with communication agencies to disseminate more information about the martial arts to the public.

The province also wants to make the martial arts a top tourism attraction. Visits to local martial arts clubs, which will receive investment from the province, will be added to the tours.

The centre will also organise martial arts tournaments to be a key sport of the province, according to Hiếu.

Last year, the province held its first annual tournament for local martial art clubs, attracting 68 delegations.

This year the centre will build a ring to organise a weekly competition at Quy Nhon City’s beach as a playground for athletes. The ring is expected to be a tourist attraction.

Officers will be sent to local traditional martial arts clubs to convince masters to share their important secrets. These will be recorded in a systematic way to preserve for the next generation.

Hieu said the preservation and development work would be a long and arduous road, needing the efforts of individuals and organisations.

Storied history

During the reign of King Le Thanh Tong (1460-1497), Binh Dinh was a secluded border zone with many wild animals. People living near the border were required to have martial arts skills to protect themselves.

The court, which at the time sent military to the area to guard the border, was focusing on developing the army. As a result, the martial arts were given special attention.

Although it continued to be practised for decades, the teaching of martial arts was not organised under a specific system until the late 18th century during the Tay Son dynasty.

Tay Son District is considered the cradle of Binh Dinh’s traditional martial arts.

During the Tay Son dynasty, Binh Dinh’s martial arts reached its most glorious period.

Examinations were held and a training system was developed for soldiers and generals. The martial arts were thoroughly researched and applied to combat situations, and many martial arts schools opened in the province.

During this period, the martial arts were a fusion of different kinds of local sects, ultimately creating a more powerful form.

Peasant leader Nguyen Hue, who later became King Quang Trung in 1788, led the Tay Son insurgents to fight against the corrupt feudal government and foreign invaders.

The Tay Son army never lost a battle as the martial arts they practised helped them become invincible.

After King Quang Trung died, the throne passed to King Nguyen Anh, who demolished all the vestiges of Quang Trung, including martial arts.

That was the darkest period for the martial arts, which began to fade in importance.

However, it remained vital and was still secretly taught and practised by local people and transferred to the next generation.

Today, the province holds a special festival to honour the famous battle of King Quang Trung, called Ngoc Hoi- Dong Da, which occurred when he led his army to the North to fight invading Chinese Yuan troops in 1789.

The victory was on the fifth day of the first month in the lunar calendar.

On that day, Binh Dinh holds an annual festival at the Quang Trung Museum in Tay Son District. Traditional martial arts performances and games, attracting thousands of people, are all part of the special day.

In 2012, the Vietnamese government recognised Binh Dinh traditional martial arts as a national heritage.

VNS