Talking about traditional martial arts of Binh Dinh, it is sure that everyone has heard such well-known geographic names as An Thai, Thuan Truyen, An Vinh at least once.
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The monk Thich Hanh Hoa and his disciples. Photo DatViet
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Besides those names, there is a pagoda martial arts club which is still in existence in Binh Dinh, which maintains many traditional martial arts postures and well-known martial arts and oriental medicine. Many followers and graduated boxers have been trained here through generations.
The pagoda is also a promising destination to both domestic and foreign tourists for sightseeing, study of traditional martial arts its demonstration, and exchanges. It is Long Phuoc pagoda martial arts club in Tan Thuan hamlet, Phuoc Thuan commune, Tuy Phuoc district, Binh Dinh Province, which was established more than 30 years ago and has been presided over by Master Thich Hanh Hoa to beautify and to create a colossal painting of Binh Dinh traditional martial arts.
At present, the monks at Long Phuoc martial arts sect are still maintaining a great deal of traditional martial arts styles. The pagoda martial arts club has been presided over and was initiated by Master Thich Hanh Hoa in the early 1980s only with the purpose of propagating, training, education young people in the village for moral self-improvement and good health, and for the practice of “good life, good religion” philosophy to them.
Because of the purpose of helping the youth to be more inclined to the good (more good-oriented), all learners of Long Phuoc pagoda martial arts sect are warmly welcomed and well trained by dedicated martial arts instructors for totally free. Accommodation and food are considerately provided by the pagoda to those living far away. Therefore, the martial arts club has attracted a countless number of students from all over the country including foreigners to come to register for martial arts training.
For over 30 years, in a garden of more than one hectare of the pagoda, resounding noises from weapons have been heard continuously day and night mingling with unaffected frolic shouts from martial arts learners, both male and female.
Traditional unique martial arts practiced here include drafting, moving, handing, whipping, along of a variety of weapons such as long-handed spears, swords, big knives, two-person fights between a whip and a whip, a long-handled spear and a sword; three-person fights such as lovesickness swordsmanship, cloud obtainment deadly swordsmanship, and performing arts such as war horse in enemies’ blockade, and being a combined attack of whips, long-handled spears, swords, and big knifes.
Encouraged by learners and dedicated instructors plus the unique feature of the traditional martial arts characterized with the nuance of “pagoda martial arts” that ancestors have tried to maintain, inherit, develop, and create for generations, the martial arts school of Long Phuoc pagoda, as a result, has successfully trained many who had the honor to perform traditional martial arts in former nations of Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, France, Italy, and South Korea.
With numerous achievements, Long Phuoc pagoda has been well known by a great deal of martial arts schools around the world and visitors to participate in martial arts training and exchanging. Therefore, it creates a unique cultural feature that no other schools of martial arts in Vietnam have had these days.
Hope that the martial arts school of Long Phuoc pagoda continues to maintain, preserve, and develop Vietnamese traditional martial arts in general, and partly to beautify and create a colossal painting of Binh Dinh traditional martial arts in the everlasting development.
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