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Martial arts instructor Nguyen Van Canh (second from right), Master Nguyen Duc Moc (wearing beret), and members of technical board. |
Martial arts instructor Nguyen Van Canh had a tour to instruct and perform Vietnamese traditional martial arts in France and Switzerland from July to October. Binh Dinh newspaper reporter had a talk with him after he had returned.
Q: Perhaps, this has been your longest tour abroad. Could you tell us about it?
A: In this visit, I performed and instructed techniques at Son Long Quyen Thuat school in France and Switzerland for nearly 100 days. 15 Masters of Son Long Quyen Thuat school's technical board and 40 instructors coming from France, Switzerland, Algeria, and Burkina Faso were instructed with some martial arts exercises, like "Lao Mai fists" and "Tu linh dao" in my first three-week visit in Julien sa de Lampou.
Members of Son Long Quyen thuat school and I also performed some martial arts exercises. I introduced Tay Son martial arts in other cities in France in three more weeks.
I then instructed Masters and martial arts learners in Switzerland. I took part in the Vietnamese traditional martial arts performance held by Switzerland-based Vietnam Embassy.
Q: How was Vietnamese traditional martial arts welcomed abroad?
A: Foreign Masters and martial arts learners were very interested in learning Vietnamese traditional martial arts. I was always asked to perform unique exercises, especially of Tay Son martial arts.
Many people enrolled in martial arts classes after enjoying our show. Only after perfectly practicing a technique did they learn another.
Masters and martial arts impressed me with their attitude towards Vietnamese traditional martial arts. Most our talks were about martial arts. Also, I met Master Nguyen Duc Moc, founder of Son Long Quyen thuat school, in this visit. He is rather weak at the age of 94.
Q: What do you think about the development of Vietnamese martial arts in Europe?
A: Vietnamese traditional martial arts has strongly developed in Europe. Scores of martial arts schools have been opened, which are well organized. Schools frequently participate in martial arts festival to introduce and share techniques. I do believe that Vietnamese traditional martial arts will continue developing abroad in coming years.
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