Vietnam Retain Asian Pencak Silat Championships Title

Vietnam successfully defended its title at the Asian Pencak Silat Championships held domestically. The event gathered athletes from 10 nations, serving as an opportunity to promote martial arts skills and cultural exchange. Speaking at the opening ceremony, Director of the municipal Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism Le Thi Ngoc Loan said the championship offers athletes an opportunity to compete in a spirit of fairness and sportsmanship while promoting exchanges, mutual understanding and friendship among participating countries. Taking place from July 24–30, the championship drew athletes from 10 Asian nations, including Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, India, Laos, Singapore, Indonesia, the Philippines, Uzbekistan, and Kazakhstan. Athletes battled it out in two main disciplines - tanding (combat) and seni (artistic performance) across 32 medal events. Ms. Loan highlighted that the championship is an important platform not only for athletes to showcase their skills but also to deepen cultural connections among participating nations. This reflects Vietnam's emphasis on martial arts and traditional culture, and its efforts to assert its presence on the international stage. In recent years, Vietnam has been focusing on preserving and leveraging its cultural heritage and exporting culture as soft power. The successful defense of the title in the Pencak Silat championships is seen as demonstrating the country's strength in martial arts and contributing to the dissemination of Vietnamese culture internationally. Information source: VietnamPlus English