Tiếng ViệtOn the morning of September 10, 2025, at the Vĩnh Long Provincial Multi-purpose Sports Arena, the Opening Ceremony of the 31st National Vovinam Championship (2025) took place. The tournament runs from September 10 to 15, with nearly 300 athletes from 22 teams across the country, including An Giang, People’s Public Security, Đà Nẵng, Đắk Lắk, Đồng Nai, Đồng Tháp, Gia Lai, Hà Nội, Cần Thơ, Huế, Khánh Hòa, Lào Cai, Lâm Đồng, Nghệ An, Ninh Bình, the Military, Quảng Ngãi, Quảng Ninh, Tây Ninh, Thanh Hóa, Ho Chi Minh City, and host province Vĩnh Long.
Master Trần Văn Mỹ, Chief Custodian of the Vovinam School and President of the Vietnam Vovinam Federation, together with the federation’s leaders, attended the opening ceremony.
Athletes will compete for 48 sets of medals. The forms category includes 22 medal events: female individual, male individual, female pair, male pair, male group, female group, as well as team events such as men’s team (Ngũ môn quyền), women’s team (Long hổ quyền), men’s attacking leg techniques, women’s self-defense, men’s basic techniques team, and women’s basic techniques team. In sparring, athletes will compete in 26 weight classes, ranging from 45kg to over 92kg for men and from 42kg to over 75kg for women.
This year’s tournament features significant changes in Vovinam sparring rules. After three official rounds, if the score is tied, competitors will enter a “Golden Point” round (instead of an extra round), lasting the same duration as a normal round. The first athlete to score will immediately be declared the winner. If no winner is determined, there will be a rest period equal to the official interval, followed by another “Golden Point” round, repeated as many times as necessary until a winner is found.
Women’s solo performance athlete
Athletes compete in men’s dual event
On the first day, one match stretched to 12 rounds. It was the women’s 42kg semifinal between Tú Lan (Ho Chi Minh City) and Hoài Thu (Đồng Nai). After tying in the three official rounds, they fought through nine “Golden Point” rounds before Tú Lan finally scored, securing her place in the final.
Another highlight of the tournament is the participation of many champions from the SEA Games and World Championships, such as Phạm Thị Kiều Giang, Lê Thị Hiền, Bùi Thị Thảo Ngân, Nguyễn Hoàng Dũ, and Nguyễn Thanh Liêm. Their presence is expected to make the competition even more exciting.
Women’s fighting competition
The 2025 National Vovinam Championship is especially significant as it is the first to be held after the administrative merger of provinces and cities nationwide. Following this merger, many teams have gained strong reinforcements with quality athletes from other provinces, including Ho Chi Minh City, Đồng Nai, Đà Nẵng, Vĩnh Long, Đồng Tháp, Cần Thơ, An Giang, Khánh Hòa, Đắk Lắk, and Lâm Đồng. This has enhanced the quality and competitiveness of the tournament, while also helping localities prepare their squads for the 2026 National Sports Games in Ho Chi Minh City.
According to the Vietnam Vovinam National Team coaching staff: after the National Championship, the General Department of Sports and Physical Training and the Vietnam Vovinam Federation will select the best athletes to represent the country at the 8th World Championship, scheduled for early November 2025 in Indonesia.
Article & Photos: Lê Giang