Hanoi (VNA) – Venezuelan Sports Minister Franklin Cardillo on May 7 expressed his desire to strengthen cooperation with Vietnam in the field of sports, particularly by introducing Vovinam, the Vietnamese traditional martial arts, into official training programmes in Venezuela, thereby making it the first country in Latin America to have a Vovinam martial arts school.
Speaking at a reception for Vietnamese Ambassador to Venezuela Vu Trung My, Cardillo said that implementing the will of late President Hugo Chavez, Venezuela is strongly carry out a strategy of building a national sports foundation, ensuring that all people have access to physical education and sports activities to improve the quality of life.
In addition to the benefits of improving public health, the minister said that the above policy also contributes to discovering and nurturing young sports talents.
Currently, the country with a population of 28 million people is among the group of six Latin American nations with high achievements at the Olympics.
Notably, Venezuelans, especially young people, are increasingly fond of martial arts. Therefore, Vovinam, a sport that combines martial arts and personality education, will certainly be warmly welcomed by the Venezuelan people.
He said his ministry will soon invite Vovinam instructors to introduce this martial art, and at the same time organise training courses for Vovinam instructors and coaches, and towards opening Vovinam schools nationwide.
For his part, Ambassador My welcomed the efforts of the Venezuelan Ministry of Sports in promoting bilateral relations between the two countries.
He affirmed that with thousands of years of history of building and defending the country, Vietnam has crystallised and developed many unique martial arts, among which Vovinam is not only a martial art but also a philosophy of life. Practitioners not only are trained in physical strength but also cultivate morality and spiritual qualities. This creates a balance between strength and compassion.
According to the ambassador, Vovinam was recognised as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2023, and has attracted more than 2 million students in more than 70 countries and territories around the world.
Vietnam is preparing a dossier to submit to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) for Vovinam to be recognised as the representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity./.
