Off the wire
• Over 2.9 bln trips expected during China's holiday travel rush  • Roundup: German economy expands in 2015, but faces risks ahead  • Bremen's Clemens Fritz to retire after this season  • France 2015 budget gap at 70 bln euros, below gov't forecast: FinMin  • Iran condemns terrorist attacks in Indonesia  • Results of WCBA League  • 1st LD: Indonesia police blame IS for suicide bombing in capital  • Standings of WCBA League  • 1st Ld-Writethru: Corrupt officials in key posts top anti-graft target: communique  • Prehistoric mat reveals ancient Chinese weaving techniques  
You are here: 　 Home

Vietnam to propose Vovinam world cultural heritage

Xinhua, January 14, 2016 Adjust font size:

Vietnam will propose the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to recognize Vovinam, a world-famous Vietnamese martial art, as the world's intangible cultural heritage, a local official said here Thursday.

At the International Vovinam Meeting 2016 in Ho Chi Minh City on Thursday, Le Hai Binh, Deputy General Secretary of the Vietnam Vovinam Federation, also spokesman of the Vietnamese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said that Vietnam will propose the UNESCO recognize the martial art as the world's intangible cultural heritage.

"In the current context, peace and integration is a message Vovinam wants to send (to the world)," Binh said at the meeting with the participation of top officials of international, continental and national Vovinam federations.

The World Vovinam Federation has member federations in Asia, Europe and Africa with hundreds of thousands followers. At the fourth World Vovinam Championship in Algeria in 2015, Vietnam topped the tournament, followed by Algeria and Italy.

Vovinam is now present in 12 African nations and strongly developing, especially after the Africa Vovinam Federation was established in 2012. In Algeria alone, over 22,000 people are practicing Vovinam in 30 out of 48 cities and provinces of the country, said the Vietnam Vovinam Federation. Endit