Twelve Vietnamese martial artists will take part in the Asian Vovinam Championships at Kish Island, Iran, starting today.

They will compete against athletes from six countries including Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and the hosts until next Tuesday.

On the sidelines of the tournament, Viet Nam Olympic Committee Vice President Hoang Vinh Giang and World Vovinam Federation General Secretary Vo Danh Hai will attend the second Asia Vovinam Federation conference.

Representatives will discuss how to develop Vovinam in Asian nations and how to introduce the traditional Vietnamese martial art at big tournaments next year such as the South Asian Games in India and the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in South Korea.

Since the establishment four years ago, the federation – based in Tehran – has expanded the Vovinam movement to countries including Lebanon, Pakistan and Nepal.-VNS