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taekwondo was agreed upon because of its resemblance to the more traditional
art of t’aek’kyŏn, which makes the nationalistic qualities of the art
obvious.
Vovinam (later renamed Viet Vo Dao) is a Vietnamese martial arts system
founded by Nguyen Loc (1912–1960) in the late 1930s. The system
was developed with both the practical intent of providing, after a short period
of study, an efficient means of self-defense, and establishing a focus for
national identity for the Vietnamese people. Founder Nguyen saw martial
arts as a vehicle for freeing Vietnam, under French rule from 1859 to 1954,
from outside domination. Thus, the traditional history maintains that at
the age of 26 he added elements of Chinese and Japanese systems to his
knowledge of indigenous Vietnamese arts to create an early version of Vovinam
by at least 1938. Therefore, Vovinam, like taekwondo, is a modern
eclectic system created, at least in part, as a nationalistic response to political
conflict. At this time, the impulse to overthrow foreign domination
gained impetus across Vietnam. In 1940, Nguyen and his disciples were invited
to Hanoi to demonstrate Vovinam publicly, which led to an invitation
to teach the art at Hanoi Ecole Normal (Hanoi University of Education).
Slogans such as “Vietnamese practice Vietnamese martial arts” and “Not a
Vovinam disciple, not a Vietnamese patriot” attest to the fact that the system
succeeded in promoting nationalism. In 1940 and 1941, in this nationalistic
climate and on the heels of a Japanese invasion, Communist-led
revolts erupted in the south as Tay tribesmen rebelled in the north. At the
end of this period, Ho Chi Minh founded the nationalistic Vietminh to oppose
both Japanese and French colonialism. At this time, Vovinam training
focused on endurance, speed, and strength with a course of study designed
to last about three months; the system also maintained a political orientation
beyond simple physical improvement. Therefore, the art was suppressed
by both the French and the Japanese. By the time an agreement was
signed by France and the Vietminh that provided for the temporary partition
of Vietnam at about the 17th parallel, with North Vietnam under control
of the Communist Vietminh and South Vietnam under Nationalist control
(1954), Nguyen Loc had immigrated to South Vietnam, opening a
Vovinam school in Saigon and others subsequently. Following the fall of
Saigon, teachers immigrated to Europe and the Americas. Vovinam currently
exists as Vovinam-Viet Vo Dao, a contemporary martial art without
overt political focus.
Whether deployed as magic used to esoterically defeat an enemy or
utilized as a focus for nationalism, the symbolic functions of the martial
arts in political conflict seem to be a cross-cultural strategy. This facet of
combatives deserves further study.
Thomas A. Green
Political Conflict and the Martial Arts 441