Vietnamese traditional martial arts tournament held in Senegal
The tournament offers not only a sport playground but also an opportunity to honour the values of martial arts, friendship and international cooperation.
Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria and Senegal Tran Quoc Khanh and winners of the 2025 Vietnam Ambassador Vovinam Cup. (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA)💧 – The final round of the 2025 Vietnam Ambassador Vovinam Cup took place at the Marius Ndiaye Gymnasium in the capital Dakar of Senegal on May 10, attracting nearly nearly 1,000 martial artists from 75 clubs of the Senegal Vovinam Union (USV).
The event was organised by the USV, under the patronage of the President of Senegal and with the support of the Vietnamese Embassy in Algeria and Senegal.
Speaking at the event, Ambassador Tran Quoc Khanh emphasised the significance of the tournament in promoting cultural exchanges and friendship between Vietnam and Senegal.
He thanked the Government and people of Senegal for always supporting cultural and sports exchange activities with Vietnam.
President of the World Vovinam Federation (WVVF) Mai Huu Tin said that Vovinam is now present in 73 countries with millions of practitioners, adding the USV officially joined the WVVF in 2008.
He thanked the coaches, athletes and sports management agencies of Senegal for their continuous contributions to the development of Vovinam and pledged to work with Senegal to make the martial arts an Olympic sport.
Diomaye Dieng, a representative of the USV, affirmed that the tournament offers not only a sport playground but also an opportunity to honour the values of martial arts, friendship and international cooperation.
Concluding the tournament, individual and collective prizes were awarded to outstanding martial artists. Senegal also selected a team to compete at the 2025 World Vovinam Championship, scheduled to be held in Bali, Indonesia in November./.
On May 8, accompanied by Vietnamese Ambassador to Algeria Tran Quoc Khanh, Tin met with Algerian Minister of Sports Walid Sadi, who affirmed Algeria’s continued support for expanding Vovinam’s presence in the country.
Venezuelan Sports Minister Franklin Cardillo on May 7 expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the field of sports, particularly by introducing Vovinam, the Vietnamese traditional martial arts, into official training programmes in Venezuela, thereby making it the first country in Latin America to have a Vovinam martial arts school.
Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh has approved the submission of a proposal to the UNESCO for the inclusion of "Binh Dinh Traditional Martial Arts" in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
This is the first time since the adoption of the Convention that a country has served two consecutive terms on the Committee. The outcome shows the trust and recognition that member states have given Vietnam for its efforts and achievements in carrying out and promoting the Convention, as well as for its active role, strong standing, and growing credibility at UNESCO.
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Despite strong home support and high expectations, Vietnam were unable to overcome the defending champions, who secured their third consecutive win over Vietnam in a regional final, following previous victories in 2014 and 2023.
The event, part of Vietnam’s cultural diplomacy strategy through 2030, was jointly organised by the Vietnamese Embassy in Venezuela and USM’s Faculty of International Relations. It attracted thousands of students from universities across Venezuela.
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The contest carried deep meaning as it was the first time the life of Vietnamese women abroad had been highlighted as the central theme, said poet and writer Nguyen Quang Thieu, Chairman of the Vietnam Writers’ Association.
The event formed part of Vietnam’s ongoing campaign to seek UNESCO World Heritage status for the complex at the 47th session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, scheduled to take place in Paris in July.
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