(VOVworld) - Having followed a martial arts teaching career for 20 years, master Nguyen Kim Hoang is famous not only for his talent but also for his great will in overcoming difficulties. Though blinded by a serious illness 5 years ago, Hoang maintained his great passion for Pencak Silat.

Martial arts master Nguyen Kim Hoang is admired by his students for his enthusiasm and optimistic spirit (Photo: vnexpress.net)

Born in 1978, Nguyen Kim Hoang showed a great passion for martial arts from a young age. When Pencak Silat was introduced into Vietnam in 1992, Hoang was selected to receive advanced training, and in 1994, he attended the first National Pencak Silat Championships. Several years later, he started a martial arts class. In the class, he got to know Ha To Lan, a professional martial arts athlete. They got married in 2005 and had a daughter. But his life changed in 2010. He began to feel tired and was diagnosed with a rare disease called Lupus erythematosus. As the disease progressed, his sight grew dim and he eventually became blind. As a martial arts instructor and the breadwinner of his family, the diagnosis left him depressed: “Because I couldn’t see, I experienced many difficulties in daily life and had to depend a lot on other people. For example, when I wanted to take a bus, I had to ask other people to show me the way and which bus to take. That’s very inconvenient”.

During the darkest days of struggling with this serious disease, with the help and encouragement of his family, friends, and students, Hoang did his best and didn’t surrender to depression. He continued his teaching. Hoang undergoes kidney dialysis at the hospital 3 times a week. The other days, he teaches classes in Pencak Silat and traditional martial arts at the Hanoi National University. He also teaches martial arts at Bach Thao park on the weekend. His class of 7 students has grown to 50 students. The classes are totally free of charge.

Regular injections make Hoang’s arms difficult to move, which is great handicap for him in teaching. But these difficulties cannot prevent him from pursuing his passion. He continues to teach. Hoang said: “Many students attend my class. Some come out of curiosity to see how a blind teacher can teach martial arts. The most important things I want to teach students is to keep fit and how to be good people and behave in the right way through martial arts”.

Hoang’s class comprises many different ages, personalities, and occupations. Many former students have returned to help their teacher now that he cannot see. After attending Hoang’s class, some have become professional martial arts athletes and competed in martial arts championships. Nguyen Thi Thanh is one of Hoang’s students: “We really admire his optimism. He teaches us not only martial arts but also valuable lessons about life. This makes us feel close to him”.

In 2015, Nguyen Kim Hoang was given a National Volunteer Award by the Ho Chi Minh Youth Union and the UN Volunteer Program for his great contribution to voluntary campaigns. Hoang said his greatest dream is to have sufficiently good health to continue his teaching career.