80 athletes take part in the Vovinam Championship in Egypt, October 26-27, 2019. (Photo: VNA)

The event marks the first international Vovinam championship ever held in Egypt, drawing 80 athletes from Japan, Algeria, Iraq, Sudan, and host country Egypt. Vietnamese Ambassador Tran Thanh Cong said the event aims to boost solidarity and cooperation between Vietnam and the Middle East and North African countries in the areas of culture, economics, and education.

Vovinam was founded in 1936 with the aim of providing practitioners with an efficient method of self-defense after a short period of study. Vovinam is practiced with and without weapons. It is based on the principle of combining the principles of ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. It is not only about the training of the body but also of the mind. Vietnamese martial arts have to date been practiced in more than 60 countries and territories with millions of learners.