Foreign practitioners retell their stories of Vietnamese Martial Arts

The competition, running from July 26 to 30 at Phu Tho Stadium in District 10, has attracted many passionate martial artists around the world.

Many foreign martial artists were fascinated by the exquisitely-crafted altars, weapon racks, drums, and lion-dance costumes at the arena during the opening ceremony on Tuesday.

Hamza Bia, a martial artist from Algeria, was caught repeatedly taking selfies with the cultural artifacts on display.

Bia told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper he is happy to finally be able to visit Vietnam.

The Algerian added he had seen these objects at his martial arts academy back home, but they are smaller and not as well made as the ones in Vietnam.

Bia, a medical student in the Algerian capital of Algiers, has been interested in Asian martial arts ever since he was a little boy. Two years ago, he visited a Vo Co Truyen academy in Algiers and, without a moment of hesitancy, registered for some classes.

His master, Boudjel Kha Faltih, studied in Vietnam and has a deep knowledge of Eastern cultures, according to Bia.

The man excitedly revealed that ever since he listened to his master’s stories about Vietnam, he has dreamed of visiting the country.

When Bia heard of the championship in the Southeast Asian nation, he and his friends decided to sign up. Foreign delegations are required to pay for their own expenses, so they had to save money for an entire year to afford the trip.

Unlike Bia, other martial artists have more practical reasons to learn Vo Co Truyen.

Yaser Pormehr, a member of the Iran Vo Co Truyen Association and also a member of Iran’s national Muay Thai team, disclosed that he participates in Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) fighting organized by UFC, the world’s largest MMA promotion company. His main combat styles are Muay Thai, kickboxing, and Vo Co Truyen.

Pormehr said Vo Co Truyen has many effective attacks, so its moves are widely practiced by Iranian MMA fighters.

The Ho Chi Minh City trip is an opportunity for him to train his combat skills, he added.

One of the foreign martial artists who have practiced Vo Co Truyen for a long time is Oliver Barbey, a Swiss who is now head of the Son Long Quyen Thuat school, a Vo Co Truyen sect in France.

In 1984, Barbey, who was only 19, met Master Nguyen Duc Moc, founder of Son Long Quyen Thuat, at a martial arts convention in Switzerland.

Barbey fell in love with Vo Co Truyen the moment he saw Master Moc’s performance and asked the Vietnamese martial artist to take him in as a student.

Master Moc’s classes were run in Paris, while Barbey lived in Switzerland. Undeterred, the aspiring martial artist traveled to Paris every few months to attend Master Moc’s classes.

After many years in patient pursuit of his passion, Barbey became just as proficient as the students who attended Master Moc’s classes in Paris every day.

In 2000, Master Moc passed on his title as head of the Son Long Quyen Thuat school to Barbey.

Barbey is not only fascinated by the physical aspect of Vo Co Truyen, but he also hailed the martial art as “a cultural treasure.”

He said that during his first lesson, the first thing Master Moc taught him was the ethical code of martial arts. The moral principles and spiritual values infuse artistry into Vo Co Truyen battles, he cited his master as saying then.

The Swiss asserted that the more he learns about Vo Co Truyen, the better he understands Vietnamese history and culture through the words of his master.

Vo Co Truyen also brought other delightful surprises to Barbey’s life. His wife, Sarah, is also a member of the Son Long Quyen Thuat school.

They met each other at one of Master Moc’s classes and fell in love. Both husband and wife are now working tirelessly to promote and expand Vo Co Truyen in Europe.