Vovinam Theory and Philosophy

1. To differentiate ours with other martial arts schools existed in Vietnam which were commonly called Vo Viet Nam (Martial arts of Vietnam).
2. Easy to remember or read, especially for foreigners.

1. Regularly attend any practice schedule, and be on time.
2. Any absenteeism should be allowed by responsible instructoby submitting application, or a call.
3. When entering the practicing class disciples shoulsalute the picture of the Late Founding Master as well as salute all higher rank.
4. Respect other martial art schools.

1. Never compete in the ring.
2. Never creates problem or test the martial arts with others.
3. Use martial arts only for defense reason.
4. Respect the righteousness.

1. When his or her honor being wounded or, life is threatened.
2. For the righteousness, justice and to protect a venerable (weak) person.

1. Live for self.
2. For others to live.
3. Must live for others.

1. Conduct: Good or bad, obedient or disobedient.
2. Behavior: In the family or in the society.
3. The learning attitude and disciplinary morale at academic school as well at the martial art school.
4. Degree of assuming responsibility when tasks were assigned.

1. Embryonic phase.
2. Establishment and development phase.
3. Growing phase.
4. Division phase.
5. Renaissance phase.

• Blue        (color of ocean and hopefulness).
• Yellow        (symbolic for oriental royalty or oriental kingship, the color of victory, triumph and pride).
• Red         (symbolic for living light and the brave belligerency of submission).
• White        (symbolic for purity, eminently calm, superiorly profound, shapeless and achromatic).

Shapes: The symbol consists of two shapes: A square on top and round under, symbolic for hardness and softness intercourse, the expression of in heritage perfection.

Both Vovinam symbol and flag symbol: Small circle with half of blue and red interpret (yin, yang), and the yellow Viet Nam map in between bears the meaning of intersection, interchange, the Vietnamese historical braveness, self-dependent, unyielding, independent and united. The big circle surrounds two small circles (red, blue), symbolizing marvelous colorless for combination to prevail, harmonize and accommodate.
The Historical Phases Of Vovinam Viet Vo Dao School

A. The main incident occurrences in the Forgotten phase (from year 1938)
To confront the two concurrent tendencies: the bloody revolutionist of feudal intellectual wings, and the revolutionists mesmerized people in debauched freedom of this time ruling colonist (French colonist), and the Youth Nguyen Loc meditated and nursed to think of taken on his citizen responsibility when the country fail into calamity. Thus Youth Nguyen Loc strengthened his education, morality, and martial art, at the same the Youth Nguyen Loc proposed a new idealism to guide youngsters at this time into the revolutionist of empowerment body and mind.

B. In the Beginning phase (1939-1945)
The first Vovinam martial art demonstration took place at Grande Theater Ha Noi North Viet Nam the fall of 1939.
• In the early spring season of 1940, the first official class opened for youth of Ha Noi city at Educational School. The Vovinam demonstrations took place in Educational School had expressively remarked the Youth master Nguyen Loc venerably imposing capacity.
• To publicly emitted the movement against the French Colonist, it began the occurrences of the hurtling in between college students, and in between official of agriculture department of Ha Noi.

C. In the Mature phase (1945 – 1946) .
• Vovinam School cooperated with government Tran Trong Kim, and participated with patriotic organizations.
• Vovinam School held the security services inside and urban areas of Ha Noi city for compatriots. Although, Vovinam School energetically participated in many activities that benefited to country and compatriots, the youth master Nguyen Loc persistently had no ambition to join any active political parties. However, Youth master Nguyen Loc just wanted to offer his talents and skills to train the youngsters into the preeminent youngsters for idealistic revolutionary, and thus he opened many Vovinam classes in many locations; such as, the Buoi school, the Thang Long school, the Ho Vu school, the Viet Nam Study School, the Bai Nha Den School, the Bai Septo School so on and so for.

D. In the Separation phase (1946 – 1948) .
• On 12/19/1948, the revolutionary war broke out. Because of this revolutionary war occurrence, most of the organizations separated so the Vovinam School. The countrymen seethed with the revolutionary war against French Colonist. The people, resources, forces of country focused into this revolutionary war therefore a number of Vovinam students with ardent love for the country participated this revolutionary war because they wanted to free the motherland from the French Colonist; in addition, these Vovinam students seamlessly concerned in any political tendency.
• Through this separation, the Youth master Nguyen Loc brought several remaining zealous favor disciples with him to follow with Phat Diem, and he opened Vovinam class then appointed these disciples to train the army in the Public House, and to train the youngsters of Phat Diem.

E. In the Resuscitation phase (1948-1975) .
• After the revolutionary day 11/01/1963, Vovinam officially allowed to reopen the Headquarter of Training Center (Trung Taâm Huaán Luyeän Trung Öông) at Vinh Vien Big Market (Vónh Vieãn Chôï Lôùn). After that, Vovinam Viet Vo Dao School continuously opened many new schools all over Sai Gon capital city (note that Sai Gon was the capital city during South Republican of Vietnam era), and the number of Vovinam students tremendously grew; especially, after the education department accepted to Vovinam Viet Vo Dao to teach in many schools: public schools, the National Police Academy, in many Army Division, the officers in PTNT etc. End of year 1967, because Vovinam School wanted to developed more in effective management then Vovinam School had formed three organizations as following:
– Federation of VOVINAM Viet Vo Dao
– Headquarter of Training Center.
– Federation of Youth Vovinam Viet Vo Dao.

With all ceaseless efforts, the Headquarter of Training Center had established the General Training centers in 4 war zones of South Viet Nam.

1. Did not allow disciples to bow to French colonial officials that sat in front of the performance stage as disciples normally bowed to; he conduced disciples to the back of stage where the national altar was already setup.
2. He publicly put medal into the pocket in front French colonial officials who were presenting the medals presentation while there were the presences of the French Colonial Government Representatives.

• Vovinam School is not one of political parties so Vovinam School does not do politic, and does not have or hold any political activity; however, Vovinam School does not prevent or forbid its students do politic on the subject of to its students’ citizen duties.
• Although, purpose of Vovinam School converge to develop and to construct persons integrity of both martial art techniques and spiritual art of living. However, Vovinam School will be ready to participate its citizen duty to the government when the nation needs to serve the country without any condition. Thus, Vovinam School directly serves with all it efforts for the country and its country citizens; Vovinam School will not serve the country under individual party or political party direction.

1. Show up, or reveal the excessive appreciation of whose worth of martial art aptitude in the public.
2. Denigrate or defame other martial art schools.
3. Make any challenge actions that may make or lead the public opinion to misunderstand about Vovinam School training its disciples to pick a quarrel with other people.
4. Argue with other for a nonsense matter when this argument just show up people who is a winner.
5. Adapt the nationalist extreme tenacity or spirit, boycott or ostracize the foreign martial art styles in the presence of friends or family members.

There are five good things Vovinam disciple should have to:

1. Practice the Vovinam Martial Art the Way of Life so that every one will love and admire us.
2. Bring into existence of friendship with other martial art school so that other martial art school practitioners get to know and respect us, and they will be ready to cooperate with our Vovinam School in development of both martial art techniques and Vovinam Martial Art the Way of Life
3. Get things done immediately if that are the appropriate works need to be done before these may allow someone to tell or remind us to do.
4. Confront and accept responsibilities, help others with all efforts without judgment of losses and gains.
5. Keep practicing and studying so that we can improve.

1. Disciplines: always strictly obey Vovinam School regulations. When disciple arrives to the Vovinam class for practicing, he or she must change or wear Vovinam uniform. At the same time, disciple must learn both Vovinam Martial Art techniques and a Vovinam system of philosophical concepts. Disciple must be self-expressive to prove that he or she put into the respecting to all common regulations.
2. Respect Teacher (master): When disciple arrives or leaves the class, he or she must bow to teacher or instructor in the formal Vovinam salutation. During the class session, disciple must pay close attention without induction to make any noise and to allow absent mind occurrences, and he or she must strictly follow the instructional commands of master and instructor.
3. Love Schoolmates: Always appear with happy attitude, and be polite with classmates. Vovinam disciple have to be gentle, helpful, and motivate when the classmate is weak, lost, and felt unconfident. When classmate felt down floor, disciple should help her or him getting up. During workout, don’t get mad or angry when getting hurt unintentionally by classmate hands or legs out of control—strictly not to think of retaliation or revenge. During class studying Vovinam Philosophic Spirit, disciples always support classmates, and learn from classmates—avoid to urge noisily, to take no rude action while classmates are speaking.

1. With who are older: Vovinam Disciples should be polite and obedient to grand parents, parents, uncle, aunt.
2. With who are same status: Vovinam Disciples should love brothers, sisters with all your heart and be always a peace make.
3. With who are below status: Vovinam Disciple should show your generosities to your children, nephew, and niece. Always show your characteristic with calm and offered them in your spirit of deference.

Strictly avoid to apply force of martial art when there are family troublesome in between family members—this will unintentionally cause to the family members misunderstand Vovinam School and its moral students education.

• Austere: Attire the martial art uniform
• Straight: Appear with calm and delight.
• Attribute: Be benevolent, admirable. Complaisant and obliging.
• Polite: Speak politely and act with deference.
• Discipline: Strictly obey regulation from the master of ceremony.

• With deed—have to be genteel, polite, don’t be perplex able, don’t be afraid to discuss, be opened mind, but never reveal internal conflict affair to public. Be delight greeting but don’t flatter or lead on or over acting. Be humble, but don’t lower us.
• With conservative—have to be a heart winner, don’t be in short temper or let go it so easy. Be the good in both listener and speaker to make the conversation convincible to audients and spectator
• With Initiative—have to be honest and solemn, but have to know to steer the intensive situation away, and control the sudden turmoil circumstances.

• Train extensively so hard to become a coach or direct transmission to Master of Vovinam martial arts and martial arts philosophy for the all others.
• Practice Vietnamese Martial arts spirit in life i.e. in-home family must be a benevolent father, a gratitude son, a helpful brother or sister. With friends, I, myself should keep a heart of trust, and with neighbors should always find an occasion to reconcile the help hands.

• Self-discipline: Discipline your own research to follow others’ good examples.
• Iron discipline: Applied in the military, follow orders first, complaint later.
• Blood Discipline: Secret parties shall be paid in secret, when a party member who violates party rules or deviation in the affair of carrying the tasks.

VVN-VVĐ discipline is self-discipline, which means school sect superior officials ask to make example as persons have seen the example from the superior officials previously done, if order isn’t followed, persons who must be disciplinarily punished or deported from school sect.

1. Study profoundly (in both martial arts, and martial art the way of life, both theory or philosophy and practice.)
2. Asking or questioning (subjects as long as they only understood, but avoid egoistic and boredom.)
3. Think carefully (absorbingly think over what have learned that put in practice.)
4. Reasoning for clarification (compare, analyze, synthesize, and counter-arguments comment.)
5. Work with all effort to (practice martial arts, be active, enthusiasm, excitement.)

1. Healthy living: On both mentally and physical.
2. Generosity: Always tolerance, harmonize, relevant self-suppress, persuade followers so together can be advancing.
3. Unflinching: Upright and outspoken.
4. Calm: To settle with calm to avoid the situations of turmoil, hectic and swinging that might lead into rush or hurry.
5. Resourceful extricate: To have agile acts in mercurial occurrences, make it right to be able to respond to all circumstances, to any unexpected circumstances.

1. Simplicity of life virtue of clergy or monastic: dresses are sedate, austere simplicity even when they are eligible to enjoy those convenience materials.
2. Simplicity of life virtue of VVĐS: if materials possessed then enjoy those as convenience in life if no materials possessed then VVĐS won’t cause harassment, demanding, nuisance, annoying to others.

1. The willpower of reeds: The willpower with volatile category, soft, wind direction which falls under her direction, have no intentional direction
2. The willpower of decayed wood, blunt wood: The willpower is a little better than the “the willpower of reeds” and had once been of use.
3. The willpower of steel: The strongest type of willpower, representing the hero. The Hero, though, do not get opportunity of the glorified time, in the aging process of getting dull and rust but the willpower of steel cannot be bend.

1. Gathered, and carefully consider facts from historical events before making decision.
2. Must fulfill with all drastic measures from quick talented capabilities possessed before starting to work.

1. The radical thinking: With an astute mind, VVĐS must have a wise clairvoyant in observations.
2. The energetic courage: With patient attitude, VVĐS must struggle persistently to overcome with all challenges.
3. The practicality: With shrewd actions, VVĐS must possess resourcefulness, and extricate from difficulties.

1. No gentleman will submit to the threat of force.
2. When falls into poverty make no changing to willpower activity.
3. When gets rich make no erotic thoughts to sexuality activity.

1. Action of unfounded optimism: It is arising from an extremely attitude overdone, never set the firm wills, and capacities to do a job, and ran off the job unexpectedly.
2. Action of random or at the guess: It is arising from an exaggerated attitude of pessimism, passivity, dependence, pray for peace, and do not believe in self-abilities.
3. Action of shrewd resourcefulness: It is proactive type of action, intelligence, initiative, adapting relevant and reached with all reasonable circumstances in any case. Person who has the action of shrewd resourcefulness always love others, love unity but never lean on others. Person who is always quick to respond to all situations, adversity, but no parvenu to others’ proud, no arrogant to others’ ignorance, no underestimate to the opponent or enemy.

• An equate ethnical national morality
• The Stable Idealistic martial arts system
• An effective training method system

• Judo and traditional Japanese Bushido martial arts have been active for two thousand years while in Vietnam the martial arts have been active through many long eras or dynasties with long traditional martial arts activities, but there have been obstacles from historical country phases, so people have to reset the traditional martial arts from starting point.
• Judo just lied into the phase of perfection its martial arts while Viet-Vo-Dao has not only been in the mature phase of Vietnamese Martial Arts Foundation, but it has also been in the development phase, and trying to get more perfection for Arts for people, and to aggregate its own country culture. As the result, Judo rarely delivers new techniques for its Martial Arts while Viet-Vo-Dao still continue its active in the development and perfection techniques for its Arts beyond time to infinite time.

• Fighting with animals begun with eras: from the stone implement, cavemen, caveman in jungle he had to fight with all other beasts, with nature, nature disaster for survivals, martial arts started or begun from this point.
• Duel combat: Ideal applying martial arts to control animals was used to man when society had widening developed along with the right in multiple tribes then the various tribes had themselves conflicts. Thus the martial arts were needed to win the battle, and martial arts again begun along with this long pace.
• Mixed combat: From One against One (One-to-One), the battles started to transform many against one or one against many. Thus the war took place, and the martial arts developed.
• Military applied Martial arts: Beginning from Ly dynasty, Vietnamese martial arts began recognizing talented the famous Vietnamese Mandarin Ly Thuong Kiet, he, then, introduced, practice in military. Through this long historic journey, the martial arts considered as the quality treasure to be maintained and developed to establish the Vietnamese history.

• Relevant, and work best with Vietnamese physical body alike and its geographical region.
• Yin & Yang coordinated for further developed.
• Combination and harmony for ideal martial arts practice model.

– Body Training: to perform physical exercise with breathing methods, cultivate and sharpen martial arts skill.

– Intellectual Training: to use learning methods for intellectual from the teacher, friends, academic school, in school life. Learn the good from person of many talents; learn bad things from person of the bad progress to avoid.

1. Self-study: the books—self reading for references, correspondence courses—take course(s) with your own time as self-study, experiments—if it can be tried as your own test for results.
2. Observations and analyses: to watch or observe how the people or things in the group interact. The good habit observer is who can analyze or solve problems more accuracy, efficiency of the affairs for better well life being.
3. Consultation: to exchange of ideas with your school mates, friends in order to understand thoroughly the affairs for studying and researching.
   d. Symposium or seminar: there is a meeting or convention with more groups of various skillful people so it is the extended consultations with people’ ideas. During this event, pay close attention to those whose appearance and arts of public speech because public speech is essential for Việt Võ Đạo staff.

– Breathing training: for internal energy (Ki Gong), is to use the breathing methods exercises to strengthen mind always in situations of peaceful, clairvoyant to make a good judgment on matters. For spirit of breathing training, it is not only to subdue the lust but also a long commitment journey of training discipline:

1. To abate and control sudden exiting emotions, and extreme feeling arise.
2. To decently filter mind, to distinct between martial arts and academic education, to clarify the mixed and confusion for the mind peaceful and purity.

Furthermore, breathing training methods are required the long discipline from the trainee to have a self-control mind from any extreme situation occurrence. We are all ordinary human unlike a living divine who enable to subdue all emotion, feeling, lust or libido. However, we can only listen to our inner and internal thought to nurture and improve ourselves to lessen the bad from the tendency of Vovinam sect to guide Vovinam instructors, masters.

1. Care for friends.
2. Care for schoolmates.
3. Care for other school sect followers.
4. Care for life.

– Dedicated heart: caring heart actions revealed out where dedicated heart actions concealed. Caring heart actions might revealed out in a case, under circumstances that, while dedicated heart to actions continually take place quietly, profoundly, heartily, and calmly. Motto for dedicated heart put into the practical actions should have three
virtues:

1. absolute honesty: always use the truth heart actions treat others in basis.
2. absolute credibility: said it then acted with it, promised it then have it ready, don’t ever lose credits to everyone’s trust.
3. absolute fairness: key fairness, integrity, are not to let any individual favors mixed into common missions.

– Committed heart: make a long term commitments with each other from the beginning to the end, and remain loyal with others. There are two cases can put into practical ways:

1. With friend and life: When Vietnamese Vo Dao disciple will commit, or take in partnership with someone; first, we carefully observed and evaluate them for partnership when later discovering that our evaluation persons were wrong—if we have to change our commitment of that partnership, we should change and withdraw quietly, don’t make any turmoil, or blame anyone because that fault is our incorrect overvaluations and evaluation lead to misjudge that person in the first place.
2. With comrade friendship: Especially within our school mates in Vovinam sect, we must take the dedicated loyalty as first priority to love, and to respect with obedience to our superior school mates’ official.

• Education level of both sides
• Life style and aspiration
• Ages
• Health
• Social status from both his and her family
• Religion
• Political standpoint
• The distinct in human race