Martial arts fest kicks off in Hanoi

Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam beat the drum to open the event.

Addressing at the festival's opening ceremony, Hoang Vinh Giang, chairman of the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Federation, said: "Vietnamese traditional martial arts are one of the country's cultural heritages which existed and developed parallel to the nation's history of fighting against foreign invaders.

The arts not only help people improve their physique and their self-defence techniques, but also cultivate their patriotism, sportsmanship and humanism."

Karate kids: Little martial artists perform during the opening ceremony of the International Martial Arts Festival on August 9 in Hanoi — VNA/VNS Photo Quoc Khanh

Giang, also the deputy chairman of the Asian Olympic Committee, noted that the festival was the largest international event ever organised in Vietnam. It seeks to preserve and promote the nation's martial arts to the world, he added.

Vietnamese martial arts have been popularized and developed in many countries throughout the world, as there are about 400 centres in 45 countries around the world offering Vietnamese martial arts training courses, with more than 1 million trainees.

During the Hanoi event at the My Dinh Indoor Athletics Gymnasium, athletes have taken part in five different categories of performance and combat for both men and women.

The Thang Long Cup brings together competitors from 50 delegations, including the US, Australia, France, Belgium, Germany, and Italy, as well as many domestic clubs from Hanoi, Binh Dinh, and Ho Chi Minh City.

The festival, which is scheduled to be held biennially, will close on August 13.