(VOVworld)- The 5^th International festival of traditional Vietnamese martial arts opened in Quy Nhon city, Binh Dinh province on Friday. More than 1,500 martial artists from Vietnam and 23 other countries and territories attended the event.

With the theme “Preserving and promoting Vietnam’s traditional martial arts”, the festival will feature martial arts performances, folk games, a tuong (classical opera) competition, a photo exhibition and a seminar on preserving traditional martial arts. Addressing the opening of the festival, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Hoang Tuan Anh said that the festival will create an opportunity for Binh Dinh province to connect with Vietnamese and foreign investors and friends: “Binh Dinh is one of the cradles of Vietnam’s traditional martial arts. Over the time, Binh Dinh martial arts has been promoted accumulating national values to become a cultural heritage. I hope that Binh Dinh province will further promote the value of Vietnam’s traditional martial arts”.

Vietnam’s traditional martial arts is now practiced all over the world. This year’s festival has attracted a large number of foreign material artists. Martial artist Natali Nicokosheva is from Russia: “We are happy to visit Binh Dinh, the birthplace of Vietnam’s beautiful martial arts. Having practiced Vietnamese martial arts for several years, we realize that this is an effective spiritual and physical exercise. It helps us overcome difficulties in life to live happily and usefully. There are cultural differences but we all share a passion for Vietnamese martial arts”.

A certificate was presented to provincial authorities that recognized Binh Dinh traditional martial arts as a form of national tangible cultural heritage. A solemn ceremony was also held in Tay Son District, where Emperor Quang Trung led the Tay Son Uprising Movement.