The second World Vovinam Championship will take place at HCM City's Phu Tho Gymnasium on July 27-31.

The event, organized by Viet Nam Vovinam Federation (VVF) and HCM City Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, aims to introduce Vietnamese martial arts to the world.

The event is expected to attract more than 300 athletes, officials and coaches from 22 countries, including Spain, Swiss, Algeria, France and Argentina.

 

Athletes will compete for 80 sets of medals in 18 events, both in combat and performance disciplines.

The World Vovinam Federation and Viet Nam Vovinam Federation will hold a technique training and international referee class from July 25-27.

After the championships, Vietnamese vovinam artists will head to tourneys in Asia and Europe, including the 26th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Indonesia this November. It will be the first time vovinam will be played at the games.

At the first world event held in HCM City in 2009, Vietnam took the lead with 23 gold, four silver and two bronze.

According to the Secretary General of the World Vovinam Federation, Vo Danh Hai, the event will not only a competition of leading vovinam artists in the world but also the chance for world-wide vovinam practitioners to come to the ancestral land to show off quintessence of this martial art.

Vovinam, established in 1938 by martial artist Nguyen Loc, is based on traditional martial arts. It is now popular in 40 countries and territories, particularly in the US, the Netherlands, Canada and France.

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