tem was developed with the practical intent of both providing, after a short
period of study, an efficient means of self-defense and establishing an ide-
ological basis for national identity and patriotism among the beleaguered
Vietnamese people.
Nguyen was born in 1912 in Huu Bang village in northern Vietnam.
Tradition maintains that when his family moved to Hanoi during his early
childhood, Nguyen’s father placed him under the tutelage of an “old mas-
ter” who instructed the boy in martial arts, both for the boy’s health and
for self-defense purposes. The nature of the curriculum apparently has not
been preserved, but oral history specifies “wrestling” as well as other
martial techniques. The martial styles Nguyen studied at this period have
been labeled traditional, but the martial and cultural tradition remains
unknown.
From 1859 to 1954, Vietnam was under French rule. During his
youth in the early 1900s, founder Nguyen Loc was profoundly influenced
by the inequities French colonial rule imposed on his people. Turning to his
early training, he concluded that the martial arts could provide a vehicle for
freeing Vietnam from outside domination by training both the spirits and
bodies of the Vietnamese people. Thus, after researching and practicing
many different martial arts, at the age of 26 he added elements of tradi-
tional Chinese wushu(martial arts), Japanese jûdô and related wrestling
systems, Japanese karate, and Korean taekwondoto his preexisting knowl-
edge to create an early version of Vovinam. Therefore, Vovinam is best de-
scribed as a modern eclectic system created out of practical necessity.
Nguyen began teaching his new system to a group of friends in 1938 in the
capital city of Hanoi.
In 1940, Nguyen and his disciples were invited to demonstrate Vo-
vinam in the Great Theater of Hanoi. This exhibition led to an invitation
by Dr. Dang Vu Hy, president of the Sport Friendship Association, to begin
teaching the new art formally at Hanoi Ecole Normal (Hanoi University of
Education). The slogans that arose within the system—“Vietnamese prac-
tice Vietnamese martial arts,” “Not a Vovinam disciple, not a Vietnamese
patriot”—reveal that Nguyen’s goal of using his system to promote na-
tionalism was attainable.
In fact, members of the Vovinam group led many of the demonstra-
tions against the French during the early 1940s, including demonstrations
at the University of Hanoi and the Ministry of Agriculture. At this point,
Nguyen Loc’s focus was political; he utilized Vovinam to further the cause
of Vietnamese independence. Thus, he created techniques that were simple
but practical. The training focused on endurance, speed, and strength. Vo-
vinam instructors were sent to cities throughout the country to promote
Vovinam, and most of the training sessions lasted about three months. Vo-652 Vovinam/Viet Vo Dao