Inner sanctum: Who first encouraged you to practice Vovinam?

I chose Vovinam without any recommendation from others. Back in 1965, I went to a kungfu performance with the intention of watching students practice taekwondo in Sai Gon (now HCM City). Instead of taekwondo, I was immediately attracted by the balance between the hard and the soft in Vovinam techniques. I then decided to practise Vovinam with my first instructor Trinh Ngoc Minh – the greatest Vovinam master and developer of the art in Central Viet Nam. Two years later, I was under the wing of Le Sang, the leader of the Vovinam school of martial arts worldwide.

Inner sanctum: Why did you begin promoting Vovinam in Binh Dinh Province decades ago, and in your opinion, what were the reasons for the success of Vovinam there?

After practising Vovinam for about four years, Sang asked me to spread Vovinam to other martial art-loving provinces including the "land of martial art," Binh Dinh. Many people practiced taekwondo as it was taught for free by South Korean soldiers. It took Vovinam a while to compete with other schools, but it has become popular beyond our wildest expectations. I think the reason for its popularity was that traditional martial arts were more suitable to Vietnamese physical features and characteristics. Second, Vovinam had plentiful attacking and defensive techniques. Third and most importantly, Vovinam was very practical and applicable with an uninterrupted series of techniques, balancing the hard and the soft in martial arts. This feature was very different to taekwondo, which prefers the hard and judo, which prefers the soft. I remember that after just five years, there were 15 clubs and 4,000 students of Vovinam in Binh Dinh.

Inner sanctum: Vovinam has a special interpretation of the martial art spirit, hasn't it?

Besides martial art force and techniques, Vovinam highly appreciates the spirit of martial art. Vovinam followers learn by heart its 10 basic principles which are mostly adopted from martial art, and used to convert bad people. When greeting, a Vovinam follower should lay a hand on their heart. The hand symbolises strength and the heart symbolises love. It reminds every martial art artist to use martial art at the right time, and against the right people.

Inner sanctum: You have travelled throughout Viet Nam and up to 15 countries to perform and teach Vovinam. What feelings do practitioners of Vovinam exhibit?

Each province and country I visit leaves me with unforgettable memories. In my eyes, international fellow students and friends have a high appreciation of martial art masters. They are always friendly. Sometimes it's the little stories that remain the longest with me. I once remember a Spanish boy showing me a map of Vietnam and saying he had done research on Viet Nam after watching me on stage. Additionally, in 1996, at a martial arts tournament in Thailand, the then Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra had his two thumbs up referring to Vovinam as number one. During my career, I have received many invitations to perform around the world. All these memories have deeply moved me.

Inner sanctum: As a Vovinam instructor, do you have any opinions of the differences between Vietnamese and foreign students?

After years of teaching Vovinam, I have instructed uncountable students from all over the world. In my view, both Vietnamese and foreign students have great affection for the martial art. However, during their studies, they have some differences. Vietnamese students take advantage of a traditional martial art which is well suited to their physical features such as deftness, resistance, and speed. However, they often rely on instructors rather than putting the effort in to conquer kungfu. In contrast, despite being less nimble, foreign students are stronger than Vietnamese. Notably, they pay close attention to my lectures and instruction. It is because foreign students have to cover the costly fees to come to Viet Nam to learn a martial art. They often take photographs and make recordings of our instructions in each class they take part in. They learn more methodical in contrast to Vietnamese students' superficiality. Remarkably, I was impressed by a French student, Patrick Levet. Despite a master in Quankido, Patrick still wanted to learn Vovinam. Just after 10 days of hard work with my special lecture, from a Vovinam starter, he was accepted to wear black belt. Afterwards, Patrick came back to France and helped bring Vovinam to the world. He is one of the most favourite students during my career life.

Inner sanctum: It seems that Vovinam in Asia is less developed than in other continents. How do you explain the paradox?

Yes, you are right. There are some reasons why Vovinam has become more developed in the rest of the world. First, it is due to waves of students studying in the West and students united with their families overseas, all of whom took Vovinam back with them. Second, since 1996, along with Patrick, I have had the chance to travel around to teach Vovinam and take on new students. From then on, Vovinam has been officially and increasingly recognised internationally. Luckily in the last two years the HCM City Sports Department has provided us with 2-3 field trips abroad to encourage the promotion of Vovinam globally. Since then Vovinam has become increasingly popular throughout Asia.

Inner sanctum: How do you evaluate the international development of Vovinam?

Until now, Vovinam has developed across five continents with associations in France, Senegal, and Cambodia, and so on. Some Asian countries have adopted Vovinam quickly such as Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and the Philippines. At the end of 2010, we are planning to hold Vovinam Games in Asia and Europe. After the success of Vovinam at the Asian Indoor Games in 2009, we are trying to bring Vovinam to the SEA Games in 2011 in Indonesia. Furthermore, we will expand Vovinam more in Japan and South Korea, the homeland of taewondo and many other well-known kungfu schools.

Inner sanctum: How do your family assist you in your career?

My family plays a key role in my success. I'm always thankful to my wife for her continual support. Whenever students come to stay and practise at my house, she never hesitates in doing the housework. My son and daughter also support my career. My son is now working in the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism in HCM City. He is also a Vovinam fellow student and supports me a lot. My daughter is now studying in England, where she helps me to stay in touch with global Vovinam masters and instructors to expand Vovinam all over the world. I am very proud of all of them.

— VNS

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