My name is Andy Nguyen. I am 13 years old going into the 8th grade. I started Vovinam Vietnamese Marital Arts at age 4, and I have been a disciple for 9 years. My family has also been in Vovinam before me and encouraged me to join.

Two of my sisters are the same level as I am, and my oldest sister is yellow belt one stripe. My first instructor was Instructor Thuy Vo. She trained me for my competitions and all my rank tests until dark blue belt. Following Instructor Thuy was Instructor Anh Hac, who taught me until I earned my dark blue belt 3 stripes at the age of 12.

        I received my first stripe at the age of 5 and earned third place for the rank test. Afterwards I entered my first competition at Chua Linh Son where I performed Loa Thanh Quyen. I was young, so it was difficult to remember the form. I had to go through intense training. Instructor Thuy and Instructor Vi even came to my house and made me practice outside of Vovinam. All my training paid off because in the end, I placed first. At another competition at Lo Duc I did the form Thap Tu Quyen. I did the exact same training as the other competition and also placed first. At another competition at Hoa Lu, I participated in a dual competition. I trained with my sister and partner Minh-Anh. We trained hard and got a first place medal.

           When I was a light blue belt, I went to class and went home. When I advanced in rank I took on more responsibilities. When I got to dark blue belt I participated in performances at restaurants, outdoor theaters, churches, schools, and other places I’ve never been too. This made me nervous, but during the performance I was not scared because I was confident in my Vovinam skills. Each performance made me less nervous and more confident than the last. My confidence helped me stand in front of my peers to warm-up the class. Also, the confidence helps me teach class and assist other instructors. Advancing to the next rank involves a level of confidence that I gained from performing and teaching to fulfill my responsibilities.

My family has been in Vovinam for years.  My uncle, Thay Trung, was the one who started it all at Hoa Lu. His daughters are my cousins and my teachers. Before, we were at the Vietnam temple. Later, the Hoa Lu center was constructed. If Vovinam wasn’t in my life I wouldn’t be active and healthy. That’s why I have been in Vovinam for the past nine years. I learned how to protect myself from knives, how to wrestle, and the attack forms 1 through 30. That’s why Vovinam is in my life. It helps build more responsibility and gives you more confidence.

Andy Nguyen (Copy Houston - Texas)