What is Intercontinental

Intercontinental Vovinam Vietvodao Association is an official international organization recognized by the Ministry of Interior of Spain. This organization has received the Registration Number 162538 on the 1 of August 1997.

Our goal is spreading, teaching, and promoting Vovinam Viet Vo Dao in all the continents. Vovinam Intercontinental acts as a link between all the continents and a bridge with the Vietnamese Vovinam Association Mon Sinh.

The second aim is the absence of any political factors. Any country can be a member no matter its government is Royalist, Democratic, Republican, Socialist, Integrists, Federalist or whatever! Because we teach Vovinam to people, to Mon Sinh, not to governments. In some countries, life is hard and tough, and sometimes the country rulers are to blame. But this is not our problem as Vovinam Mon Sinh. If we want to take actions we are free to do it OUTSIDE Vovinam.

We respect all Vovinam masters, Trainers or instructors of any and every Federations or Associations in the World, no matter their nationality, color of skin, religion or political opinion.

Anybody can be a member of Vovinam Intercontinental, no matter if these persons are working or collaborating with any other Federation or Association.

Conform to our International Association statements, to be a member of Vovinam Intercontinental you don't have to "quit" you actual Federation or Association. Therefore Intercontinental Vovinam Association accepts anybody who is desiring to join us. Please contact us to obtain an application form.

Refeering to the Vovinam program and belt examination program, we were confronted to the great number of distinct programs all over the world. Several international organisations, groupments, associations or so-called Federations have rules apparently similar to each others, but in fact with evident differences.

But in all the countries where Vovinam is spread, there is only one where the UNIFICATION of a program is a tangible fact: Vietnam. And what a chance that this country is the motherland of Vovinam! That's what we all decided to follow the Vietnamese Vovinam Association's program. By this way, all the countries member of Vovinam Intercontinental form a compact group following a same and unique program, a same and unique way to perfom Quyens and Song Luyens.

This is like a dream for some Mon Sinh of other associations in certain countries where there are so many different "ways" to perform Quyens. For example, in the same country or in the same city, Quyens are so different that they seem to be another quyen with the same name!

The Technical Unification is then one of the priorities of Intercontinental Vovinam Association.

To avoid any monitoring by the Vietnamese authorities, our organism's administration is based outside Vietnam: In the Canary Islands.

The Members of the comitee of direction are spread in Western Countries. The only part of Intercontinental Vovinam Association which is centered in Vietnam is the Technical Direction, which seemed to be logical to all of us.

In International Vovinam, there is NO "vietnamese only spoken" policy in our meetings in Western countries. As an International organisation, an international language, common to the WESTERN countries, is used in the meetings. Some teachers and masters in other international groups complained that almost all masters were speaking in their meeting only in Vietnamese: Almost no translation or none. It even exists a certain way to "secretize" some problems. They are told between Vietnamese and not or wrongly translated. By using this system, non-vietnamese people feel discriminated and rejected.

In our Intercontinental Vovinam Association's meetings, there is the right of the same importance of opinion, no matter the grade of the speaker: In the Intercontinental Vovinam Association, it does not matter if you are red belt master, or yellow belt instructor: If you are an instructor, currently teaching in a club, so you have the right to vote, to participate in decisions, you have the right to be elected, the right to speak, etc.

When we are talking about the ways to rule, change or improve our association, anyone have the right to speak. A red belt master cannot oblige anybody to do, act, say or change anything in the administration of Vovinam. If a master has no position in the administration, he is still a master, but has authority in the Vo Duong only. We want to avoid a sadly welknown "dictatorship" habit in some Western countries Vovinam groups. In progress: We are openned to any idea, and comment from our members. Anything can be changed if it is to improve the quality of Vovinam' teaching, of Vovinam's spreading, rules, competition, etc.