Preserver and spreader of Vietnamese cultural values

Meritorious Artisan Tran Van Dung with his artistic stone sculpture. Photo: Van Anh

The journey of bringing Nhat Nam martial arts back to its roots...

According to martial artist Tran Van Dung, he learned about Nhat Nam martial arts when he was a student at Hai Duong Medical Technical University. At that time, the young man came to this subject only with the desire to improve his health. However, the more he practiced, the more he was deeply attracted. Nhat Nam is not noisy, not inclined towards muscle strength, but stands out with its quick, flexible martial arts moves, soft in hard, hard in soft, as if carrying a separate philosophy of life. For a young person with many desires and concerns like him, this martial art not only trains the body, but also suggests a peaceful and understanding lifestyle.

The turning point came when he was directly taught and explained the history and philosophy of this martial art by martial arts master Ngo Manh Hung, one of the people who contributed greatly to the development of Nhat Nam. Those conversations not only helped him practice martial arts, but also "uncovered the source", as he once shared. And then, when he learned that Nhat Nam originated from his hometown Thanh Hoa , where he was born, he longed to bring back to his homeland a part of the quintessence that had been forgotten.

In 2012, he founded the first Nhat Nam martial arts club in Thanh Hoa. He taught and went to each school and residential area to introduce, perform, and recruit students. The first training sessions had only a few people, but he was not discouraged, because he believed that when students understood the spirit of Nhat Nam, they would stay. And indeed, from the initial few people, the number of students increased rapidly.

With the motto "teaching martial arts is teaching people", he persistently builds a disciplined, respectful and close-knit training environment like a family. Many students after a while have become martial arts masters, opened classes in other localities, contributing to expanding the Nhat Nam community in Thanh Hoa. Up to now, after nearly 15 years, Nhat Nam martial arts has not only returned to its homeland but also truly taken root and spread. Thousands of people have become students, many clubs are regularly maintained at schools such as Hong Duc University, Hanoi Medical University Branch in Thanh Hoa..., many primary and secondary schools in Thanh Hoa have included Nhat Nam in their curriculum. Up to now, he still regularly performs with his students at festivals and art programs, continuing to spread the Nhat Nam spirit to more people.

...to a Meritorious Artist in the field of stone sculpture

Stone sculpture came to Mr. Dung like an invisible thread, connecting martial arts to art. It was professor, martial arts master... Ngo Xuan Binh (who later became his teacher) who inspired and aroused in him a love for stone, a rough and hard material but with a magical ability to express.

Mr. Dung was born into a family with a tradition of making fine stone carvings in Dong Quang ward, Thanh Hoa province. On the path to adulthood, with his own choice, he did not think that he would follow the "father-to-son" profession, but then after having a deep affinity with martial arts, being inspired by the art of Mr. Ngo Xuan Binh, he decided to return to the stone craft, not only to follow his father's career, but to renew the profession with a different spirit: the traditional art of petrification.

At first, he only created simple shapes to express martial arts, meditation postures, and boxing moves. But then, through each chisel and carving, he aspired to go further on his artistic journey. At the same time, with the guidance of teacher Ngo Xuan Binh, he began to learn and research more deeply about artistic stone carving.

His works are not elaborate or stylized, but rather focus on expressing inner feelings. He chooses familiar themes: motherly love, fatherly love, family... At the same time, he also performs many works revolving around martial arts. The postures, techniques, and gazes of martial artists are vividly portrayed by him, both strong and majestic, and calm. In addition, he also adapted some works by Mr. Binh, which are highly appreciated by experts. Mr. Dung said: "Stone sculpture is like martial arts practice, you have to be patient, breathe properly, use just enough force, if you are impatient, it will break, if you are careless, it will be ruined". It is the connection between these two fields that has helped him shape his artistic style, creating works that are both physically beautiful and contain philosophical depth.

Currently, Mr. Dung is working hard to open a solo exhibition. He hopes that the exhibition will not only be a place to display his works, but also a space for exchange and sharing between artists and the public, between artists and lovers of Vietnamese culture.

With his lasting contributions to traditional art, he was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist. This is a worthy reward for a quiet, yet quality and emotional creative journey.

At the age of 38, Meritorious Artist Tran Van Dung still has a lot of work to do on the journey to spread the spirit of Nhat Nam martial arts more widely in Thanh Hoa and neighboring areas, while creating more stone sculptures with artistic value and cultural depth. And whether on the training floor or in the stone workshop, he still persistently pursues his path with dedication and perseverance. For him, martial arts and art are not only a passion, but also a responsibility - the responsibility to preserve, breathe life into and revive Vietnamese values ​​with his own hands, heart and faith in national culture.

Van Anh

Source: https://baothanhhoa.vn/nguoi-gin-giu-va-lan-toa-nhung-gia-tri-van-hoa-viet-254621.htm