Binh Dinh has been famous for its martial arts spirit since the old days. The fact that the land of martial arts has many martial arts talent is not a surprise to many people. However, few know that there used to be a “military doctoral training school” in the province.
The “military mandarin” training school in Binh Dinh
According to available materials in Binh Dinh, under the Nguyen Dynasty, due to emergency needs of military leaders for the feudal government, King Tu Duc issued a royal decree in 1851 on opening a martial arts competition site in Binh Dinh. Contestants from Quang Ngai to Binh Thuan Province were allowed join the competition so that the feudal government could select the talent to command its troops.
Historical books say that the martial arts competition site was located at the southwest of the Emperor Citadel. It was built of laterite, having a perimeter of nearly 907 metres and a height of 180 centimetres. It was this place that became the “military mandarin” training school in the South Central Coastal Vietnam for the Hue-based imperial government.
At that time, there were 4 martial arts sites all over the country, including Ha Noi, Thanh Hoa, Hue and Binh Dinh. In order to achieve the martial arts doctorate, the contestants had to take competitions from low to high levels like examinees sitting for literature doctoral exams.
The primary round was the interprovincial competition which is comprised of 3 testing forms: carrying a heavy load; performing martial arts with weapons like cudgel, mace, long-handled spear; and demonstrating matchlock firing.
Those who passed all the 3 forms would be granted “martial arts diploma” and called a “martial arts graduate”. Those who passed 2 out of the 3 forms would be called “martial arts high-school graduates”. The secondary round was pre-court competition and the tertiary or highest round was the court competition.
Martial arts masters ranked as common people or soldiers were provided with money and foodstuff to cover traveling costs if they went to the Royal Capital from provinces and cities all over the country to participate the court competition.
Those who got the martial arts doctorate had to pass all the 3 rounds of competitions, mastering knowledge of troop disposition in battle formation, being expert at the art of war before being conferred as royal generals.
The Binh Dinh –based competition site had same functions with those in Ha Noi, Thanh Hoa and Hue. The contestants who were good at the martial arts but not proficient at the art of war and the troop disposition in battle formation were not recognized the martial art doctors.
In 1878, the Royal government organized the interprovincial martial arts competitions at 4 places of Binh Dinh, Thua Thien Hue, Thanh Hoa and Hanoi. 120 people in the country were granted martial arts diploma a year later. Most of them were uneducated and unknowledgeable about warfare. Consequently, they didn’t help much for the country in the wartimes.
In 1883, King Tu Duc deceased. Kien Phuc enthroned, trying to restore the “military doctoral training school”. The newly crowned king ordered to open the interprovincial competitions to select the “martial arts diploma graduates”.
He changed rules and combating events such as dumb-bell carrying, performances of mace, wooden cudgel, scimitar, shield, long jump. The last event was shooting games. The royal government had already approved a plan to recruit 600 martial arts practitioners in Binh Dinh, waiting for the “martial arts diploma” competitions.
Yet, the promising plan ended up in smoke as French colonialists invaded Northern and Central Vietnam, hindering the Hue-based royal government of the Nguyen Dynasty from organizing the competitions to select the “military mandarins”. The recruited competitors dissolved, coming back their homeland and later becoming masters training martial arts for insurgent troops against the French colonialists.
The “military doctoral training school” in Binh Dinh was also dissolved in 1884. Times of martial arts still remained but gone was the place for its competitive performance.
Historians commented that it was reasonable to call of the “military doctoral training school” because in reality, the techniques of combating with maces, swords, spears and the traditional art of war became useless in compared to modern weapons like tanks, airplanes and modern techniques of the French expeditionary forces.
However, during the history of struggle against the foreign aggression, sporting spirit of Binh Dinh continued to exist with distinct shade. Movement of martial arts learning in its cradle rose up. One and all men practiced martial arts; one and all households trained martial arts. More and more renowned talented masters appeared. They became leaders of the insurgent troops in the anti-invasion and domination of the French colonialists and their lackeys.
Binh Dinh-born top-classed martial arts competitors
The elders of Binh Dinh martial arts circles narrated that in the martial arts court competition at Hue imperial city, there had been a contestant from Tho Loc commune, An Nhon sub-urban district, Binh Dinh province. He was extraordinarily strong. In the event of 200-metre dumb-bell carrying, he carried the dumb-bell, running around the competition site several times without stopping.
Examiners of the royal government unanimously agreed to choose him to be the first in the competition without requirement of other tests with sword, cudgel and mace. Other contestants set their heart against the decision of the examiners, stating that strength accounted for only 50% of success in the martial arts.
They asked to let the Binh Dinh-born contestant compete with other 10 most qualified contestants in whip matches so that the recognition was convincing enough.
The first competitor was defeated with his whip left broken. The second was taken his whip and was stroke down at the very first round. The rest 8 contestants bowed in admiration and made excuses for not fighting with the Binh Dinh contestant.
In other competitions at Binh Dinh site, head of the examiner board who was a “martial arts doctoral graduate” had to show admiration to Bau De, a Binh Dinh-born contestant who was extremely excellent at whipping techniques.
Bau De was born at Tuy Phuoc suburban district. He was famous as an expert in martial arts. With only a cudgel, he gained much admiration of highly capable martial arts practitioners.
Bau De didn’t enroll in the competitions like other normal contestants. He had been waiting until the matches had come to an end with announced results and then challenged the top 3 newly-selected to combat.
After a couple of rounds, Bau De defeated all the three people. Feeling excited, the head of the examiner board that was very famous for his skill of using long staff threw down the glove.
At that time, the martial arts circle in the southern central of Vietnam often mentioned a saying: “Hue imperial was famous for its whipping technique while Binh Dinh was renowned for its mace technique”.
In Binh Dinh, the 2 larger places of “Hue” and “Binh Dinh” were replaced by smaller localities Thuan Truyen and An Vinh respectively. Thus, many people thought that it would be not easy to defeat the “martial arts doctoral graduate” of the Hue imperial government.
The “martial arts doctoral mandarin” suggested fighting with Bau De in 10 rounds. Being afraid at first, Bau De didn’t dare to enter the special competition but at last; he had no option but accepted. The two competitors started to fight against each other. No sound was heard except the sound of their fighting weapons.
Some time later, Bau De employed his secret skill to strip the whip of the opponent. The two continued to enter the second round. Bau De shouted “Please forgive me for using the second secret technique, Sir!” Hearing that, the military general found himself in setback and said “Please, don’t”. He really admired the talent of the young man from the land of martial arts.
Le Van Nhien, who lives in Quy Nhon City and is a three-generation descendant of a martial arts master, narrated, “Bau De was the close disciple of a highly able martial arts master in Phuoc Thuan commune, Tuy Phuoc district. He was called “Ba Muoi” although his real name was Le Tuyen. A village in Tuy Phuoc used to be named after him as “Le Tuyen village” to commemorate the military general who once joined in the Can Vuong Movement launched by Mai Xuan Thuong to fight against the French colonials. When the General Le Tuyen (Mr. Ba Muoi) was a member of Can Vuong Movement, Bau De was just his escort.”
It was rumoured that Muoi passed a “martial arts diploma competition”. He then went to Hue to participate the court competition. He finally gained the “martial art doctorate”. He was let to visit his hometown by the king before returning Hue for assuming the royal task.
When he passed Nhong Mountain Pass at Phu My sub-urban district, he was attacked by a tiger. He struggled with the tiger from midnight to the next morning and then killed animal. The local people were very happy at his victory because the threat of the barbarous tiger no longer existed.
Hearing that news, the royal government accused him of breaking prohibition of killing tiger. The king issued an edict which stripped his “martial arts doctorate”, demoting him to the common class and enforcing a corporal punishment of 30 whips. Yet, some said that he was just sentenced to probation.
Binh Dinh is actually the land of literature and martial arts. Its culture is diversified. Many of its historical vestiges have been protected so far.
If you want to learn about Binh Dinh history, you shouldn’t forget to visit Champa Do Ban Citadel (renamed later as Hoang De Citadel by Tay Son insurgents) and particularly the military training school, where shows typical personalities of Vietnamese people–diligence, creativeness, sporting spirit and righteousness.
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