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Performing Binh Dinh traditional martial arts |
Binh Dinh province is one of the places that still preserve traditional values of Vietnamese martial arts. Tay Son martial arts, which are closely associated with the rising movement of Tay Son farmers, are ther quitessence of Binh Dinh’s martial arts. Martial art clubs/ schools are everywhere in Binh Dinh province, from rural to urban areas. Some martial art villages have been formed in Binh Dinh.
Reputable martial arts instructors in Binh Dinh province have been trained in their home villages. They learnt from their parents/grandparents and teachers. Martial arts instructor Ho Nhu is an example. When he was 12 years old, his mother invited a martial arts instructor in Binh Dinh to teach him. She actively helped her son practice martial arts at home. Ho Nhu has now become a reputable martial arts instructor in Binh Dinh province. Martial arts instructor is another example. He has been disciple of many reputable martial arts instructor such as Cai Bay, Sau Ha and Tau Sau. When Phan Tho was young, with a great passion for learning martial arts, he sold the cow of his family to get money for spending on martial arts (at that time, most famers earned their living by rearing cows).
Martial arts clubs/schools are everywhere in Binh Dinh province. The martial arts school of instructor Phan Tho (Tay Son) gathers students from many localities throughout the country and even foreign students. The Ho Sung and Lam Ngoc Phu martial arts schools open everyday to receive students and are especially busy during summer. Many generations of martial arts instructors have been trained in Binh Dinh. One instructor said, “Unlike Chinese martial arts, which are taught by certain organizations in certain areas, Vietnamese martial arts are taught everywhere. This explains why there are in Binh Dinh province many villages of martial arts.”
In the past several years, traditional schools of martial arts in Binh Dinh province have been restored, creating an impulse for this type of sport to develop. The year 2007 was considered a successful year of Binh Dinh’s martial arts. In 2007, Binh Dinh’s martial arts practitioners won many prizes at martial arts tournaments. At the 2007 National Tournament for Traditional Martial Arts Championship, which took place in Phu Yen, Binh Dinh team won 22 medals. The team also gained success in competitions with other types of martial arts such as Wushu, boxing, and vovinam.
In 2007, at the invitation of the International Martial Arts Association, Binh Dinh’s martial arts team performed at a festival in Italy and Romania (every four year, the International Martial Arts Association organizes a martial arts festival in one country. In 2007, they organized this festival in Romania with participation of nearly 300 martial arts instructors from 23 countries). After this festival was over, the International Martial Arts Association signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) for long-term cooperation with Binh Dinh province in the field of martial arts. Under this MOU, in the near future, the martial arts sector of Binh Dinh province will have opportunities to exchange relations with those of foreign countries. Binh Dinh will also export martial arts costumes and instruments abroad and import modern martial arts instruments from other countries.
Presently, there are in Binh Dinh nearly 100 martial arts instructors and trainers, and nearly 4,000 students. The provincial sport and physical culture sector therefore pays much attention to restore traditional martial arts villages. During the Tay Son-Binh Dinh Festival which will take place from August 1-3, 2008, there will be an international festival of traditional martial arts that is expected to attract a large number of visitors. This festival will gather martial arts clubs of different schools of traditional martial arts in the world.
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