Martial artists perform at the National Vovinam Championship in Gia Lai on Thursday. — Photo voh.com.vn

HÀ NỘI — The National Vovinam (Vietnamese traditional martial arts) Championship opened in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai on Thursday.

The event drew the participation of nearly 400 martial artists from 29 teams across the country.

Participants will compete in combat and performance events for 48 sets of medals.

The event will last until April 24.

According to Nguyễn Bình Định, vice general secretary of the Việt Nam Vovinam Federation, the sport is developing quickly in the country. There are more and more young talents taking up the sport.

There are more than 2.5 million practising the martial art in 70 countries and territories now. The strong growth of the artform can be seen through the establishment of the world federation, as well as continental federations in Asia, Europe and Africa.

Master Nguyễn Lộc founded the martial art in 1936 and introduced it to the public two years later. — VNS