World Viet Vo Dao Federation
History, Tradition, and Continuity
The World Viet Vo Dao Federation (WVVDF) was born from the need to consolidate, protect, and promote Viet Vo Dao internationally, enhancing the historical legacy of International Viet Vo Dao as founded and developed by Grand Master Phan Hoang. The creation of the WVVDF represents a fundamental step in the discipline’s development, ensuring continuity, technical consistency, and global growth, drawing on the experience of decades of dissemination and organization in Europe and around the world.
Viet Vo Dao is a comprehensive Vietnamese martial art, integrating technique, spirit, and philosophy, offering practitioners a path of awareness, personal growth, and martial development. The WVVDF aims to preserve these values by organizing courses, seminars, exams, and international events, and by fostering collaboration between schools and Masters to promote cultural and technical exchange globally.
History and Founding Schools
The origins of International Viet Vo Dao date back to the 1960s and 1970s, when Grand Master Phan Hoang arrived in Europe, introducing the Vietnamese discipline and laying the foundation for its international spread. His work was not limited to merely transmitting techniques: he emphasized ethical, cultural, and philosophical principles, making Viet Vo Dao a comprehensive martial art, in which the inner aspect is considered as important as the technical aspect.
Among the historic schools that contributed significantly to the founding of International Viet Vo Dao are: Thanh-Long, Thai-Son-Lam, Han-Bai, Quan-Ky, and the Nghia-Long Institute. These schools, coordinated by Grand Master Phan Hoang, laid the technical, cultural, and organizational foundations of the art, fostering the birth of a unified system capable of respecting the traditions of each school while ensuring consistency and international recognition.
In the following years, International Viet Vo Dao consolidated itself as an international network, coordinating teachers and Masters in various countries, developing shared training methods and examination criteria. This process ensured that the discipline remained faithful to Vietnamese tradition while adapting to the needs of contemporary practice.
Grand Master Phan Hoang – Founder of International Viet Vo Dao
Grand Master Phan Hoang, born in 1936 in Vietnam, is universally recognized as one of the key architects of the spread of Viet Vo Dao in Europe. Arriving in the continent in the 1960s and 1970s, he played a leading role in the encounter between Vietnamese martial arts and Western practitioners, laying the foundations of International Viet Vo Dao.
His work was not limited to technical transmission: he emphasized the integration of ethical, cultural, and philosophical values, making Viet Vo Dao a comprehensive and profound martial art, in which the inner aspect is considered as important as the technical aspect. Phan Hoang coordinated numerous Masters and schools, fostering the development of training methods, examination criteria, and shared practices, drawing from Vietnamese tradition the founding principles of an open, progressive, and rigorous martial art.
Grand Master Phan Hoang continues to play a leading role as a technical and spiritual mentor, guiding and supporting new generations of Masters and practitioners. His vision remains the foundation upon which the discipline’s continuity and the WVVDF project rest.
Grand Master Bao Lan – Biography and Contribution to International Viet Vo Dao
Grand Master Bao Lan, born on March 5, 1954, in the Vietnamese province of Quang Tri, comes from a noble family, descended from the last Vietnamese Emperor, Bao Dai. From a young age, Bao Lan demonstrated an extraordinary passion and talent for martial arts, beginning his study of Viet Vo Dao and, over time, deepening his knowledge of the philosophy, technique, and inner discipline that characterize this art.
During his training in Vietnam, Bao Lan immersed himself in the historical traditions of Viet Vo Dao, acquiring advanced skills in martial techniques, studying classical schools, and understanding the cultural and philosophical values that underpin the discipline. These years of learning laid the foundation for his future international career and his integrated approach combining technique, ethics, and personal development.
In 1972, Bao Lan arrived in Italy, bringing with him the legacy of the Vietnamese tradition and the desire to spread it throughout Europe. From that moment on, he dedicated his life to teaching and training new Masters, promoting advanced courses, seminars, workshops, and international events. His work helped consolidate the presence of Viet Vo Dao and Viet Tai Chi in various regions of Italy, making him a point of reference for practitioners and Masters in Europe.
Grand Master Bao Lan’s career has been recognized internationally through prestigious martial titles and ranks:
- Tenth Dan and the title of « Đại Võ Sư Quốc Tế, » awarded by the World Federation Vo Co Truyen Vietnam, the highest technical and honorary recognition in the Vietnamese martial arts hierarchy.
- Ninth Dan and the title of Vice Patriarch, awarded by the International Viet Vo Dao, in recognition of his authority, organizational skills, and role in the discipline’s protection and development.
- President of the World Viet Vo Dao Federation (WVVDF), a position that allows him to lead the international organization and promote the continuity and global growth of Viet Vo Dao
Grand Master Bao Lan stands out not only for his technical skills, but also for his strategic and cultural vision. Under his leadership, the WVVDF has consolidated its international structure, coordinating training activities, workshops, events, and cultural exchanges in various countries. His leadership is characterized by a balance between respect for historical tradition and the innovation necessary to keep the discipline alive, transmitting the ethical and philosophical values of Viet Vo Dao to new generations of practitioners.
In recent years, Bao Lan has assumed a role of continuity and development, strengthening the international presence of Viet Vo Dao and consolidating the project initiated by Grand Master Phan Hoang. His experience, dedication, and the recognition received from international Masters make him a central figure in the life of the WVVDF, capable of uniting the various historical schools and guiding the federation towards new goals, maintaining the link between tradition, culture, and innovation.