Central Binh Dinh Province is the cradle of Vietnam’s martial arts and recognised as the birthplace of traditional martial arts in Vietnam from the time of the Tay Son-Binh Dinh martial arts school in the 18th century. It has proudly continued the tradition of producing some of the country’s best talent in the discipline.The traditional martial arts festival begins with performances at Quy Nhon Town, the capital of Binh Dinh, and surrounding areas including King Quang Trung Museum, Hoang De (Emperor) Citadel and Nhon Hoi Economic Zone – which is symbolic of central Vietnam’s economic development.
Spectacular martial arts displays
With the will of a free independent country and their invincible patriotism, the Vietnamese have developed a strong fighting spirit, which can be seen in the decisive wars : "To escape from the humiliating misery and hardships of slavery. They have to win the enemies"
The Vietnamese traditional martial arts which is very rich in forms, was developed based on the bloody experiences acquired during the courageous fights to protect their country and people .
Binh Dinh Province is famous for Vo Tay Son, also known as Vo Binh Dinh, an ancient martial art that was developed in the area. Ten out of 11 districts in the province have established martial arts training centres with nearly 100 clubs. The provincial traditional martial arts association manages 80 masters and attracts approximately 1,000 students in regular training courses.
Coming to Binh Dinh and attending the festival, you can join local teams and witness the showcase for their talent in martial arts, as well as Binh Dinh’s scenic beauty and distinctive, appealing culture. Participants demonstrated their various performances at the villages, allowing everyone to imbibe the unique aspects of martial arts in different cultures.
Moreover, the participants can also visit the province’s martial arts villages such as An Thai and An Vinh, where they can learn about the time-honored arts from successors of martial arts forefathers. The festival features enthralling events including battle drumming, international martial arts competitions and a beauty pageant with some of Vietnam’s most dangerous women.
Battle drum
Tay Son battle drumming has always been close to locals hearts. It is said that during battle, Nguyen Hue, who later became Emperor Quang Trung, used a 12 drum system, which symbolized Asia’s 12 zodiac signs, to give battle commands, boost his soldiers’ morale and convert his enemies to good causes.
According to Tran Dinh Ky, director of King Quang Trung museum in Quy Nhon Town, Tay Son battle drumming is a special genre which blends military and artistic elements and is based on the traditional sound systems such as ho, xang and xe.
It is extremely difficult to express the “soul” of Tay Son battle drumming, which explains why few artists can perform it well.
A member of the King Quang Trung museum’s martial music troupe, Hoang Mai, a girl in her early twenties, has been selected as the main festival drummer and an icon to popularize the genre.
