Are there indigenous Vietnamese arts that are not essentially Chinese arts that were brought there?

I once heard that there some vietnamese practice local silat, but I would need to ask my GM for more details......

Mabuhay ang filipino Silat at Arnis.

Header info.:
From: d0cc0@yahoo.com (SEAB2B.com)
Newsgroups: rec.martial-arts
Subject: Vietnamese Martial Art History
Date: 14 Jan 2004 09:34:34 -0800
Message-ID: <58b6a597.0401140934.5f7e2733@posting.google.com>

Article (the censored word is, uh, 'rooster'):
The Vietnamese martial arts (vo thuat) have remained responsive to
local imperatives, as distinct from the standardization developed in
Japan or in the Peoplés Republic of Chinạ Even after the
reunification of the north and the south, a universally accepted body
for the classification and standardization of martial arts has yet to
emerge publicly in Vietnam. Thus, there are an indeterminate number of
schools, some practicing family traditions, others based in regional
tradition, most clothed in secrecy, with skills perpetuated orally by
transmission from teacher to student. The aura of secrecy that often
attends martial arts was intensified when Vietnam was conquered and
colonized by France (1859 1954). During the colonial period, martial
arts were driven underground and were taught secretly (primarily
within families, some maintain), transmitted with caution from teacher
to student.

There is considerable discussion among Vietnamese martial artists
themselves as to whether any of the Vietnamese martial arts truly
developed independently of Chinese influencẹ Confucianism and
its Mandarin civil service influenced military arts at the elite
levels by the institution of formal military training in an
eleventh‑century academy of martial arts in the capital, Thang
Long City (now Hanoi). In order to graduate in the military sciences,
candidates had to pass entrance exams, followed by a minimum of three
years' study before graduating. This climate also produced, in the
sixteenth century, treatises such as Linh Nam Vo Kinh (On Vietnamese
Martial Art).

In the eighteenth century, major schools of Chinese boxing, primarily
Cantonese, were noted in Vietnam by names such as Hong (Hung) gar, Mo
gar, Choi gar, and Li gar. It is claimed that these styles elaborated
on the styles of various monasteries; among these the most commonly
mentioned was Wo Mei Shan Pal.

In twentieth century Vietnam, Vovinam, Kim Ke, and Vo Binh Dinh have
been regarded as the most popular systems. In ađition, numerous
Sino‑Vietnamese styles have been reported, such as Bach My Phai
(Bak Mei Pai or Baime1quan, Chinese for "White Eyebrow Style",
yongchun (wing chun or Ving Tsun), and Melhuaquan (Plum Blossom
Boxing). These styles were popular among Chinese who lived in Vietnam,
especially in the Cholon section of Ho Chi Minh City (formerly
Saigon).

When discussions of native martial arts arise, Tay Son boxing is often
cited as indigenous to Vietnam. The system came to national attention
in a late eighteenth‑century peasants' revolt in Vietnam. In
1773, three brothers, the Tay Son, led a revolt and divided the
country between them. Their victories were attributed in part to Vo
Tay Son (Tay Son Fighting Style), often known as Vo Binh Dinh (Binh
Dinh Fighting, or sometimes translated into English as Binh Dinh Kung
Fu). Each of the three brothers contributed to modern Vo Tay Son, and
contemporary practitioners trace their martial lineages to one of the
threẹ Vo Tay Son remains an aggressive combat art encompassing
both unarmed and weapons forms. There are eighteen weapons in the
curriculum, with an emphasis on bladed weapons, particularly the
sword.

A less well known system is Kim Ke (Golden ****). As the name implies,
the system adopts combative features of the ****. There are strikes
modeled on the spurring talons of the fighting ****, as well as
high‑jump kicks to the upper torso or head, a feature that
appears in other Vietnamese systems alsọ Actions are fast and
aggressive, with attack preferred to defensẹ Practitioners of
Kim Ke even utilize biting attacks. It has been noted that Kim Ke
fighters prefer lateral attack angles.

Family systems have been described that simply use the family name
(ẹg., Truong Vo Thuat, Truong Family Fighting Style) as a label.
Such systems are developed within lineages and generally utilize both
Vietnamese and non‑Vietnamese (especially Chinese) martial arts
as sources of armed and unarmed techniques.

The most familiar of Vietnam's martial arts are Vovinam Viet Vo Dao
and Quan Ki Dọ Both systems were synthesized from a variety of
preexisting arts in the twentieth centurỵ

Vovinam (later renamed Viet Vo Dao) was founded by Nguyen Loc (1912
1960) in the late 1930s. Traditional history within the system states
that Nguyen, while in his twenties, combined elements of local schools
of Shontei province, other Vietnamese styles, principles from the
"Linh Nam Vo Kinh" treatise, traditional Chinese wushu, Japanese judo
and related wrestling systems, and Japanese karate to create Vovinam.
Nguyen began teaching his eclectic system to a group of friends in
1938 in the capital city of Hanoị The system was developed with
the practical intent of providing, after a short period of study, an
efficient means of self defensẹ Further, as a distinctive
national art incorporating what supporters have called "the best of
Vietnamese martial arts," Nguyen hoped to establish a basis for
national identity and patriotism among his hard pressed peoplẹ A
spectacular element of the art is the existence of leg techniques in
which the practitioner uses both legs to kick, grasp, and trip an
opponent. The "flying scissors" techniques are the most recognizable
of these Vovinam tactics. Tradition holds that these maneuvers were
developed as a means to allow Vietnamese foot soldiers to attack
Mongol cavalrymen during the Battle of the Red River Delta in 1284.
From its creation until several years following the founder's death,
the system was called Vovinam. The name Vovinam blends two words: Vo
(martial arts) and vinam (a shortened form of Vietnam) to signify
"martial arts of Vietnam." In 1964, Viet Vo Dao ("the philosophy of
Vietnamese martial arts" was ađed to the name to produce the
modern form Vovinam‑Viet Vo Daọ

Quan Ki Do (also Qwan Ki Do, Quan Ky Do), which can be translated as
"Fist and Q1 (energy) Way," was established by Pham Xuan Tong
(cạ 1981). One tradition holds that the roots of the art are in
the Chinese boxing system of Wo‑Mel (a Southern Shaolin style).
The main techniques derived from Chinese martial arts are based on the
animal forms of the tiger, crane, and praying mantis. A Vietnamese
system, Quan Ki, is reported to have been incorporated into the art to
supplement this fundamentally Chinese structurẹ

A countertradition maintains that Tong obtained the knowledge from
which he synthesized Quan Ki Do elsewherẹ According to this
tradition, Quan Ki Do is based on the Vietnamese styles of Vo Bihn
Dinh (see "Tay Son," above), Vo Quang Binh, and Vo Bach Ninh. At least
some of the elements of these arts were inherited through an
unclẹ

The difficult issue of origins aside, Quan Ki Do encompasses both
grappling and striking, as well as a variety of stick, pole‑arm,
and bladed weapons. The Vietnamese sword art of Viet Lon Guom is
included along with traditional Chinese weapons in this arsenal. Also,
meditation and breathing techniques are used to cultivate qị
Tong left Vietnam in the late 1960s and ultimately based his Quan Ki
Do organization in Toulon, Francẹ


Check out "flying scissors" used by Cung Le at www.cungle.com

I watched "making of a champion," and I will say that Cung Lee trains pretty hard...I was quite impressed!

Couldn't find the "flying scissors" though. :shrug:

Hey...who remembers the video game "street fighter II"? It's kind of ironic that the end villian, who is from vietnam, does a "flying scissors" technique in the game! :rofl:

Vietnamese arts are very well-known in Europe, most popular are Quan Ki Do and Viet Vo Dao, now devided into 2 organizations: International and Vo Vi Nam.
The most known techniques are don chan - scissors.
The influence of Chinese arts is obvious, especially in weapons forms.
VVD was one of the few systems in pre-bjj era requiring grappling skills for passing tests (20 min of ground fighting + 40 standing for bb test).