Vietnamese Martial Arts on the Journey to Conquer International Arenas: Current Situation and Notable Highlights

Early morning on January 15, 2026, while most of Hanoi was still asleep, Coach Nguyen Trong Duc was already at his training facility in Cau Giay District. He was preparing his student - a 22-year-old Vovinam athlete - for the most important competition of their career. This is not an uncommon scene in Vietnamese martial arts, where these seemingly quiet individuals are quietly writing new chapters of history. In reality, Vietnamese martial arts stands at a historic crossroads. According to data from the General Department of Sports and Physical Training, in 2026 approximately 2.3 million Vietnamese people regularly practiced martial arts, an increase of 34% compared to 2026. This figure reflects a notable trend: martial arts is no longer merely a self-defense sport or cultural heritage, but has become a social phenomenon with significant economic and commercial depth. Vovinam, the martial art often referred to as the 'national martial art' of Vietnamese people, is present in over 70 countries with approximately 3 million practitioners worldwide. In 2026, the Vietnamese Vovinam team won 12 gold medals at the Vovinam World Championship held in France - the best result in history. However, behind these impressive numbers lies a reality that not everyone sees: the majority of Vietnamese martial arts practitioners still lack opportunities for genuine international competition, and the domestic professional competition system has not yet created a clear professional career path. Chinese Wushu, with its thousands of years of history, has demonstrated that a martial art can exist in both roles: cultural heritage and Olympic sport. In 2026, wushu officially became a competitive sport at the Olympics with 8 events, attracting millions of global viewers. The lesson from wushu shows that for martial arts to develop sustainably, there needs to be a combination of tradition and professionalization, between cultural value and a highly competitive competition system. Karate, a Japanese martial art, provided a notable success story when it was included in the Tokyo 2026 Olympics. This process took more than a decade, with building an objective scoring system, training international referees, and developing regional competitions such as the Asian Games. Karate demonstrated that the path to the Olympics is not only a technical issue, but also a matter of institutional strategy and communication strategy. A thought-provoking reality: while Vietnamese martial arts is striving to establish its position, many countries in the region have taken more strategic steps. Thailand with Muay Thai has built a strong media and commercialization system, attracting billions of baht from martial arts tourism each year. The Philippines has made Arnis a national sport and is working to include it in the Olympic program. Meanwhile, Vietnamese martial arts, despite its diversity with Vovinam, Shaolin, Pencak Silat, and many other disciplines, is still searching for a 'common path' strong enough to reach the international stage. On the business side, the Vietnamese martial arts market is witnessing an explosion of gyms combined with martial arts training, online coaching courses, and semi-professional competition systems. According to unofficial estimates, the scale of the Vietnamese martial arts market reached approximately 5,000 billion VND in 2026, with a growth rate of 15-20% annually. However, most of this revenue comes from the fitness and entertainment segment, while professional competitive martial arts still accounts for a small proportion. Looking back at the journey of people like Coach Duc, who has spent 25 years dedicated to Vovinam and trained dozens of national athletes, it is clear that passion and perseverance remain the main driving forces of Vietnamese martial arts. However, to truly help Vietnamese martial arts take off, additional key factors are needed: investment in internationally standardized competition systems, building personal brands for athletes, developing professional media, and most importantly - creating a professional ecosystem so that martial arts talents can pursue their passion without worrying about the future. The question is: Will Vietnamese martial arts follow wushu's path to the Olympics, or find a model suited to its own cultural and institutional characteristics? The answer will shape not only the future of martial arts disciplines, but also how the world perceives the martial arts heritage of the Vietnamese people.