Deception

Unfortunately, the World Federations of Vietnam would not function as many of us hoped. The struggles for power in these two federation projects would generate problems that prevented the true Vovinam Mon Sinh's to live their art as they should do.

The World federation key posts were distributed to influent people's children or friends in Vietnam. And the true masters holding in Vietnam the martial art knowledge were set apart. The history is repeated again.

Furthermore, the competitions of the newest world federation in Vietnam would show numerous irregularities and injustice, at the level of technical competitions and fights.

At last, the very high grades offered as gifts to any person presenting himself as a promoter of Vovinam in a new country, would end by destroying the moral of many teachers and Mons sinh's. So many new comers, from new countries, were suddently wearing a red Belt... and do not know anything about Vovinam. You can see them in some websites and Facebook performing techniques that are far from being Vovinam techniques.

Welcoming new countries in Vovinam is very good. But giving red belts as gifts is not fair toward the Vovinam people that must wait years and pass the exam to get it !

Vovinam is NOT a sport
If many countries feel happy in these conditions and form a powerful block in this "sport" entity, others do not wish to keep working that way. This is the reason why we all gathered, masters and teachers, to create the Integral Vovinam World Federation.

"Integral" means we follow the fundamental principles of the Founder Master Nguyễn Lộc, which is the research of efficiency, the investigation in other martial arts, and the open-mind spirit, by eliminating the techniques that are unrealistic in fight or in self defense.

But "integral" also means that we do not consider the competition as a game or a sport. Competition is a part, and only a tiny part of Vovinam, and we can perfectly progress without it. We see the competition as a mean to practice ALL the Vovinam techniques.

Under no circumstances it should look like a mix of Karate and Taekwondo, as we see in Vietnam where, now, almost no Vovinam natural weapon and techniques can be used anymore in fights competitions.