The Vovinam Patriarch is back
Master Tran Huy Phong acted like a true master and a faithful disciple. He gave back the Patriarch Title to master Le Sáng. Although the discrepancy between instructors and masters about this matter kept running for years...
After 13 years in prison, especially when someone is innocent, a person tends to think in a different way. That's what happened to Master Le Sang. When he was freed (let's remind that he was NOT free, but under total police control), he started to give Vovinam a new course, a new form.
The way Vovinam was structured shows less violent techniques, less effective training, and a clear tendency to transform Vovinam into a softer art.
It might not be Master Le Sang's point of view, but more precisely the one of the governement. A sport Vovinam is no danger for people, so it cannot be used for revolution or rebelion. Like the Chinese government did for Kung-Fu, transforming is into an inoffensive WuShu.
Master Le Sang was more inclined toward inner energy techniques (Nhu Khi Cong Quyen) as well as Song Luyen for ederly people. It is clear that Master Le Sang was thinking about a Vovinam for all ages, not anymore a Vovinam only for young and strong people.
At last, after so many years of isolation, Vietnam changed its policy regarding its frontiers. Vietnam allowed foreigners to visit the country, but only with group visas, no individual visas yet. It's under these circumstances that some foreigners came to Vietnam. In 1990, Master Tran Nguyen Dao gathered many Vovinam masters and instructors from Western countries to visit Vietnam and train in the mother Land of Vovinam.
The year after, in 1991, it was Patrick Levet who traveled to Vietnam and met Master Nguyen Van Chieu for the first time. They established a relationship that would change completely the future of Vovinam in the World. |
