a fighting form that is now on the cusp of UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage status.

Female martial artists of Phi Long dojo performing at Duong Long towers. —Photo vothuat.vn

The precise origins of Vo Binh Dinh have long remained a mystery. Historians speculate that it originated in the 15th century, during conquests in the south. As Binh Dinh was unstable during its early years, King Le Thanh Tong sent warriors and generals there for peacekeeping. The generals eventually settled and their knowledge was passed down through generations, particularly martial arts. 

Vo Binh Dinh further developed during the 18th century's Tay Son Dynasty, accumulating from exchanges with other martial art forms across the country.

Martial arts were then systemized and even became part of the national examinations, with the army itself being fully trained in Vo Binh Dinh. Dojos grew in numbers. Encouraged by the kingdom, Vo Binh Dinh was in its heyday.

Ha Gia Loi, 13, makes an impression with her long staff use. — Photo vothuat.vn

Over six hundred years later, the sound of masters and students practising Binh Dinh martial art has not faltered. There are currently 177 dojos housing over 12,000 practitioners with 101 masters across the province, according to the President of the Binh Dinh Martial Arts Federation, Bui Trung Hieu.

Multiple martial arts village are spread throughout Binh Dinh with a diversity in styles. Tay Son District has Phu Lac, Xuan Hoa, An Vinh and Thuan Truyen villages; while Phu Cat District is famous for Phu Nhan, Dai An and Hoa Hoi villages. An Nhon District has An Thai and Thang Cong making their names.

British writer and martial arts expert Augustus Roe, the author of The Martial Arts of Vietnam, has studied the form and is an enthusiast for it.

“I spent some time in Binh Dinh to research the local systems. In doing so, I travelled to many of the renowned ‘Martial Art Villages’ in the region. Each of these tiny hamlets has their own specific flavour and speciality style,” Roe told Việt Nam News.

“For example, Thuan Truyen is known for staff fighting, An Vinh is known for its female fighters (the village was founded by a descendant of the legendary female warrior Bui Thi Xuan), An Thai is known for its stronger (masculine) unarmed style and Long Phuoc Pagoda is known for its peaceful, Buddhist approach to combat.”

Teaching Vo Binh Dinh in Phan Tho dojo in Binh Dinh. — Photo www.bienphong.com.vn

Binh Dinh martial art is special for its diversity, which encompasses a wide array of knowledge and weapons, from the many dojos across the province. It is relentless and powerful in attack, but calm and poised in defence, utilising the yin-yang theory in its development of punches and kicks.

Although diverse in styles, Binh Dinh martial art focuses on four basic aspects: respiratory training, empty hand combat, weaponized combat and willpower training.

The Vietnamese Binh Dinh Martial Art Federation divided the lessons of four aspects into seventeen routines, with weaponized combat utilising eighteen different weapons, including long staffs, swords, spears and axes.

Vo Minh The, founder of the Binh Dinh Tactician Martial Arts style. — Photo vothuat.vn

The three most well-known styles in Binh Dinh martial art are the empty-hand styles of An Vinh and An Thai, and the Thuan Truyen long staff style. They have the most practitioners and their popularity is even etched into nursery rhymes.

A famous saying goes "Trai An Thái, gái An Vinh", which means that An Thai style is practised mostly by men, whereas An Vinh style is popular among women. It is based on the fact that the An Thai style utilises power in their moves, suitable for males. The An Vinh style, however, is based on speed and the assumption of a taller opponent, which made it easier for females to learn. The Thuan Truyen style, on the other hand, uses a long staff, a famous weapon among commoners in the past.

“During a visit to Long Phuoc Pagoda, I had an opportunity to train directly with Grandmaster Truong Van Vinh (a descendant of the legendary Truong Van Hien, who taught the three leaders of the Tay Son Uprising). Sparring with some of his disciples, I was amazed at their creative approaches to dealing with my significant weight and height advantage. Their motto ‘Speed first, then strength and accuracy’ was certainly put into use effectively,” said Roe.

Perhaps one of the most famous masters of Binh Dinh martial art is master Phan Tho (1926-2014). Nicknamed "Binh Dinh's greatest hands", Master Tho was legendary for his knowledge and use of all eighteen weapons in Binh Dinh martial art.

Learning martial arts from the age of seventeen, he endured 18 years of travel and learning from multiple teachers across Binh Dinh. One of his most well-known victories was against a South Korean taekwondo martial artist in 1972. Although smaller than his opponent, Tho was able to evade his opponent's attacks, before landing the famous "Viper Poison Attack" to knock out the Korean.

In 1998, he was again challenged by an arrogant taekwondo master from South Korea, who repeatedly mocked Vietnamese Martial Arts. The Korean fighter started the match with two powerful kicks, but Tho evaded them with ease. Before the opponent was able to strike the third kick, Tho found an opening, struck a powerful blow that made the Korean fall on his back and admit defeat.

Tho continued his teachings until his death in 2014, passing his mantle to his son Phan Duc, before his grandson Phan Minh Hai took over in 2018.

The dojo of Ho Nganh is well-known in Binh Dinh. Its namesake, Master Ho Nganh was the best long staff user in the entire province. Ho Nganh's mother, Le Thi Quynh Ha, was a participant in the kingdom's martial arts competition and was one of his first teachers.

Ho Nganh's famous move, the "Reverse Long Staff Strike" was taught and perfected by his mother and passed down to his followers and descendants. Today the Ho family has a lineage spanning five generations, with a profound knowledge of martial arts and the Thuan Truyen long staff style.

Master Ho Nganh passed away in 1976, and was posthumously honoured by the Vietnam Institute for Martial Arts Research in 2018 for his contributions.

Children practising at a dojo in Le Xuan Canh. vothuat.vn

The style continues to be studied by locals and foreigners alike and is widely admired for its traditions, and loyalty of its followers. It’s a martial art tradition that continues to leave Roe enthused.

“The most impressive aspect of Binh Dinh martial art for me is the pride and dedication that the region's martial artists feel for their system. For many in Binh Dinh, martial arts are simply a way of life; generations of families, groups of friends and husbands and wives train together with commitment and enthusiasm every single day,” Roe said. 

“Although Binh Dinh is a place of stunning natural beauty, it has also suffered through centuries of hardships. However, despite all of this, the spirit, generosity and warmth of its fighting people still shine through. For me, this strength of character is what martial arts are truly about.”

In recognition of more than 500 years of development and contribution of Binh Dinh martial art to Vietnamese culture and sport, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam has granted permission for the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to begin the process of proposing that UNESCO recognise Binh Dinh martial art as an intangible cultural heritage, with many martial artists responded positively to the news.

Binh Dinh martial art has been a National Intangible Heritage since 2012, and the UNESCO move is likely to provide global exposure for this legendary martial art.

Faced by the tests of time and the import of other martial arts such as taekwondo, karate and MMA, Binh Dinh martial art is still growing, not only as a sport but as an art form and a valuable aspect of Binh Dinh and Vietnam's culture as a whole.

Source: Vietnam News

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