The Thanh Long Cup, Vietnam’s first international traditional martialarts championship, will take place from August 6-13 at the My DinhIndoor Athletics Gymnasium in Hanoi City, the Chairman of the VietnamTraditional Martial Art Federation announced at a press conference onJuly 9.

Thang Long Cup, the largest-ever event ofits kind, will bring together some 36 martial art teams from all overthe country, such as Hanoi, Binh Dinh Province, Ho Chi Minh City, NamDinh Province and Nha Trang Province, as well as 50 international teamsfrom 35 countries, including the United States, Australia, France,Belgium, Germany, Italy, Russia, Spain, India, Myanmar and Laos.

In the competition, martial art athletes will compete in fivecategories in 19 weight classes, ten for male and nine for femalecompetitors.

On this occasion, the organising board is also launching the International Vietnamese Traditional Martial Art Federation.

The traditional Vietnamese martial arts are national heritagesdeveloped throughout the country’s history of fighting against invaders.

The traditional martial arts enjoy a high level ofpopularity among Vietnamese people as a way to stay physically healthyand mentally focused, and as a self-defence technique.-VNA