There is a four-generation family in which all members learn martial arts in Phuoc Hiep Commune, Tuy Phuoc District. Master Ham Huu Nghia is one of members in the family.
 |
|
Master Ham Huu Nghia (middle) and his students.
|
Learning martial arts everywhere
Born in 1937, Ham Huu Nghia (his real name is Nguyen Huu Nghia) began to learn martial arts when he was 25. His first teacher was Huong Kiem Kinh who lived in Phu Cat. He then went to An Vinh to learn martial arts with Master Tam Tu two years later. At home, he also was taught by his father.
“I loved traveling to know everything,” he said. He continued going to Sai Gon and learned traditional martial arts with Master Le Dai Quang before learning boxing. Learning martial arts everywhere and practicing hardly helped him make great strides in martial arts.
He suddenly went to Cambodia to learn to become a doctor. “At that time, my teacher wanted me to be his adopted son. My adoptive mother said that learning martial arts had no future," he said. Three years later, in 1968, he returned to Vietnam, going to Pleiku to work as both a doctor and a martial arts instructor. He came back to Binh Dinh and opened a martial hall in 1975.
Nghia said that he indulged in pleasures; thus, he went everywhere when he was young. Now he still remembers the competition in which he fought against Hoang Ngoc Ngai, a famous master of his day, in Buon Me Thuot fair in 1963.
“He was very hot-blooded in the competition,” Nghia recalled. “I only evaded his kicks to know his skills in the first half. After the half-time, I hit my elbow on his sole of the foot, defeating him.”
He doesn’t remember how many students he has had. Among about 3,000 people, many came from provinces of Ha Tay, Thanh Hoa, Vinh Phu, or HCM City.
He rarely talks about himself and martial arts but he still has many students. “My teacher said that martial arts shouldn’t be used to show off,” he said. For him, his masters and students are fate. That is also the reason why he named his martial hall as Ham Huu Nghia, showing his gratitude to his master.
“Currently, I have 18 students. In the daytime, I work as a doctor and do some public affairs," he said. In 2002, he rode to Quy Nhon to study at Binh Dinh Medical Secondary School, aiming to get a degree to officially work as a doctor.
A four-generation martial arts family
All members of four generations in his family learn martial arts. His 96-year-old father is also a master of martial arts. When he was a child, he mainly learned martial arts with members in the family. He learned martial arts from his uncle, but then he often asked his friends to teach martial arts to his descendants.
Nghia’s three brothers are also masters of martial arts, living in Gia Lai province now. Among 36 his grandchildren, 7 became masters. Some are national referee, martial arts instructor, and award-winners at martial arts tournaments.
Nguyen Thi Kim Thuong, one of his great-granddaughters, won many gold and silver medals. “She loved learning martial arts when she was a child despite the fact that she is a girl,” Nghia said. “But she is now studying tourism in HCM City.”
| 
