The teacher with the mission of spreading Vovinam in schools

Mr. Nguyen Tien Tung (standing in the middle) not only teaches the passion for Voviam but also incorporates soft skills lessons, helping students apply them flexibly in life.

From a boy who loves martial arts

Mr. Tung impressed us at first sight with his strong, toned body - the result of more than 20 years of persistent martial arts training. More than 20 years ago, in Luc Yen (Yen Bai), where towering limestone mountains embrace terraced fields, Nguyen Tien Tung was a skinny, pale 10-year-old boy, always suffering from asthma attacks.

One day, Tung happened to see a report on TV about young people practicing Vovinam. The beautiful martial arts moves, the decisive and powerful punches seemed to have a strange attraction for the sickly boy. That year, knowing that there was a Vovinam club in the province, he begged his parents to let him go to school. Three times a week, Tung cycled 10km to the training place. In the hot summer, he returned home with a sweaty shirt, in the bitterly cold winter, his numb hands gripped the bike handlebars.

After a year of persistently practicing traditional martial arts, a miracle happened. His body became more flexible, and his asthma gradually disappeared. Vovinam not only helped Tung stay healthy but also taught him about willpower and perseverance. Through many tournaments, recognizing his special talent, the teachers in the team brought Tung to practice with the athletes competing in the province. In 2010, at the National Sports Festival in Can Tho, Tung became a national champion in Vovinam, bringing honor to Yen Bai province, also marking a major turning point in his martial arts journey.

To the teacher who spreads Vovinam

In 2011, Tung passed the entrance exam to the Faculty of Sports Education, University of Education (Thai Nguyen University). Here, student Tung met teacher Vo Xuan Thuy - a respected teacher, who devoted all his heart to the development of Vovinam in the province. It was teacher Thuy who guided Tung on a new path: spreading Vovinam to the younger generation.

Students of Chu Van An High School (Thai Nguyen City) perform martial arts in the School's "Vovinam Martial Arts and Music" Competition (March 2025).

Thanks to Mr. Thuy, Tung has a deeper understanding of Vovinam, a sport that is also a part of the national cultural identity, a crystallization of the history of our ancestors' struggle to defend the country. Not only beautiful moves, Vovinam also contains the spirit of Vietnamese martial arts - a philosophy of life that promotes martial arts spirit, perseverance, compassion and responsibility to the community. The more Tung learns, the more passionate he becomes about this martial art.

After graduating, Tung decided to stay and become a physical education lecturer at FPT Polytechnic College in Thai Nguyen. With his passion, teacher Tung has contributed to making Vovinam a compulsory physical education subject at the school since 2022. No longer a small extracurricular club, now each martial art move and each form has become part of the official training program.

Not only teaching at school, Mr. Tung and other teachers also teach students for free, contributing to building the Vovinam movement in universities and colleges in Thai Nguyen. Currently, he is the Deputy Head of the Vovinam Department of the province, under the Thai Nguyen Provincial Martial Arts Federation, directly training and educating physical education teachers and students who love martial arts. Under his guidance, many students have become coaches, teaching Vovinam, contributing to spreading this subject in schools.

Currently, Thai Nguyen has about 80 Vovinam clubs with more than 5,000 students, most of whom are students. Mr. Tung and his instructors not only teach martial arts but also incorporate soft skills lessons, helping students apply them flexibly in life.

"I want students to not only learn martial arts but also understand the spirit of martial arts - that is perseverance, discipline and compassion, true to the spirit that the founder of Vovinam - martial artist Nguyen Loc once promoted." - Mr. Tung confided.

In the conversation with teacher Tung, we discovered something quite special. Not only does Vovinam bring health and career, it is also the thread that connects his love. During the years of teaching Vovinam at martial arts clubs in the province, he met his student Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong. And then, from the synchronized steps on the mat, from the strong but gentle punches, they found love for each other.

A photo from the wedding photo album "Vovinam - bridge of love" of the couple Nguyen Tien Tung and Nguyen Thi Kim Phuong taken in 2017.

In 2017, the couple decided to take a special wedding photo album called "Vovinam - the bridge of love". Looking at this photo album, we were moved to see the couple wearing traditional blue martial arts uniforms, performing graceful martial arts moves together.

From a skinny boy in Yen Bai, Nguyen Tien Tung has become a dedicated teacher, carrying on his shoulders the mission of spreading Vovinam to the younger generation. He believes that martial arts are not just moves, but also a way of life, a path to train oneself and contribute to society. To him, this martial art is also a part of the traditional culture of the Vietnamese people that needs to be preserved and developed. Therefore, every day, he and other martial arts masters persistently spread and contribute to sowing the seeds of passion for Vovinam in the hearts of thousands of students in the land of "The First Famous Tea".

Mr. Tung's efforts have been recognized through many Certificates of Merit from various levels, sectors, and the Thai Nguyen Martial Arts Federation. But for him, the greatest reward is the joy of seeing the happy eyes of his students when they find passion in each punch and martial art move; witnessing the maturity of each student from shyness to confidence, strength, and perseverance in overcoming difficulties after learning this martial art...

Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/xa-hoi/net-dep-doi-thuong/202504/nguoi-thay-voi-su-menh-lan-toa-vovinam-trong-hoc-duong-4010e7b/