Quang is Executive Vice President of the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts (WFVV) and Vice President and General Secretary of the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Federation.
During his return to Gia Lai for the 9th International Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts Festival - Gia Lai 2026, Quang spoke with reporters from Gia Lai Newspaper and Radio & Television about efforts to preserve the martial arts heritage while adapting it to contemporary life.
The 1956-born grandmaster was also awarded the “For the Cause of Culture, Sports and Tourism” commemorative medal by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism during the festival, recognising his contributions to the sector.
* Looking back on more than half a century in martial arts, what first drew you to Vietnam’s traditional martial arts and sustained your passion for them?
– Traditional martial arts have been a lifelong calling for me. I started training when I was 10. At the time, there were no clearly defined schools as there are today. We simply called it folk martial arts.
The more I trained, the stronger my passion became, and martial arts remained an important part of my youth. Even when I interrupted my studies to enlist and serve on the battlefield, that passion never disappeared.
After completing my military service and returning to civilian life, I resumed my martial arts journey. Traditional martial arts have since become an inseparable part of who I am.
They embody profound cultural values and reflect Vietnam’s long tradition of building and defending the nation. That sense of pride and aspiration inspired my generation.
* You went from being a martial arts student during wartime to helping establish formal martial arts organisations after peace returned. How did that journey develop?
– After returning from the battlefield in 1983, I began teaching martial arts. At that time, traditional martial arts were largely practised spontaneously, without formal administrative structures or clear public direction.
A major milestone came in 1989, when Hanoi became the first locality in the country to establish the Hanoi Martial Arts Association. I was fortunate to be among those who advocated for and helped establish the association, and I was entrusted with serving as Vice President and General Secretary.
That provided an initial foundation for taking traditional martial arts beyond individual dojos and into the wider community, with activities organised more systematically.
I have now spent more than 40 years directly involved in management and over 50 years devoted to the martial arts movement.
* Having witnessed the development of traditional martial arts across many provinces and cities, what is the biggest difference between the movement decades ago and today?
– The difference is enormous and represents a historic transformation.
Around 40 years ago, although traditional martial arts were thriving at the grassroots level, the main objective was essentially to maintain and preserve them.
In recent years, however, Vietnamese traditional martial arts have entered a new phase focused on direction, breakthroughs and professionalisation. Policies from the Party and the State have provided significant support for that transition.
In particular, General Secretary Tô Lâm’s guidance on cultural development, including the role of traditional martial arts, has provided fresh impetus. The objective is no longer simply to preserve the discipline, but to develop it strongly and take it further onto the international stage.
* Standardisation is particularly challenging for a discipline encompassing hundreds of different schools. How is that process being carried out?
– This is indeed the most difficult issue.
Unlike many foreign martial arts, which are individual disciplines governed by established standards, Vietnamese traditional martial arts encompass hundreds, even thousands, of schools and dojos.
Over thousands of years of national defence, Vietnamese martial arts developed along different family and regional traditions. Each carries the distinctive spirit, techniques and characteristics of its masters.
But further development requires common standards rather than a situation in which every locality follows a different approach. If a national form is prescribed, for example, practitioners in Hanoi and Cà Mau must perform it using the same postures and techniques.
We have therefore brought together leading schools and renowned grandmasters from across Vietnam to unify competition rules, prescribed forms, financial regulations and organisational structures.
About 80% of that standardisation process has now been completed. Traditional martial arts are gradually moving towards the model of a professionally organised sport.
* As Executive Vice President of the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts, how has the effort to bring the discipline to an international audience developed?
– The international community has long known Vietnam as a resilient and courageous nation through its history of national defence. When foreigners encounter Vietnamese traditional martial arts, they are attracted by their practicality, sophistication and cultural depth.
A historic milestone came in 2015 with the official establishment of the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts and the inaugural World Championship, which attracted participants from more than 40 countries across Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia.
One particularly memorable moment came when our leadership delegation visited a dojo in France with more than 500 local students. When we entered, all of the students shouted “Vietnam!” together and performed a solemn bow.
One member of our delegation observed that it would normally be difficult to ask Europeans to kneel or bow in Vietnamese tradition, yet martial arts masters had inspired them to do so. For us, that was a powerful expression of the appeal of Vietnamese culture.
* What are the World Federation’s key plans for further raising the international profile of Vietnamese traditional martial arts?
– This October, we will travel to Italy for the second Congress of the World Federation of Vietnamese Traditional Martial Arts, which will be held alongside the World Championship.
Nearly 40 countries have already registered to participate. Networks of Vietnamese traditional martial arts dojos are expanding strongly in France, Belgium and Italy, as well as in countries across Africa and the Americas.
We are also establishing strategic links between three major centres: Ho Chi Minh City, Gia Lai and Hanoi. From this foundation, we are developing plans to expand the movement, promote the image of Vietnamese traditional martial arts and organise international activities to raise its profile.
With the momentum and unity we have today, I believe Vietnamese traditional martial arts can go beyond being a source of national pride to become a widely recognised sporting and cultural heritage around the world.