Vovinam will be absent from the 2025 SEA Games.

On October 25th, the Southeast Asian Sports Council held its second meeting in Thailand, primarily to discuss issues surrounding the 2025 Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 2025 in Thailand). The Games will be held in Bangkok, Chonburi, and Songkhla from December 9th to 20th next year, featuring 44 sports and 567 sets of medals.

This is the Games with the most sports since the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines (56 sports). However, despite strong support from a number of countries, the Thais decided not to include Vovinam in the competition program.

The host country's decision surprised the Vietnamese delegation and many other countries in the region. According to tradition, a sport is included in the program when four countries support it. At the 33rd SEA Games, Vovinam had the support of more than five countries. Even the Thai Vovinam Federation did not object to including this martial art in the Games' program. However, the host country said no.

The Thai decision concludes a long and arduous campaign by Vietnam. Throughout this process, Vietnam has invested heavily in the development of Vovinam in Thailand. Many athletes and experts have been sent to Thailand, helping them build a very strong Vovinam team. Leaders of the Vietnam Vovinam Federation and the Department of Sports and Physical Education have repeatedly intervened at both the Federation and sports management levels.

The reason given by the Thais was a lack of funding, but this doesn't seem very convincing. Unlike sports like football or athletics, which require large investments, indoor martial arts like Vovinam often utilize existing facilities and don't require new construction. In fact, the SEA Games show that with just one complex, the host country can usually organize 4 to 6 indoor sports similar to Vovinam. Participating countries also pay $50 per person per day, so the actual cost for the host country is even lower.

The inability to include Vovinam in the SEA Games program will slow its development in the region. According to regulations, if a sport is included in the Southeast Asian Games three times in a row, the host country of the next Games can prioritize its selection without consulting other member countries in the region. Historically, Vietnamese Vovinam has been selected twice in a row (SEA Games 26, 27 and 31, 32). Not being selected this time means that a longer and more arduous process of preparation will be necessary in the future.

This has also contributed to the growing development of Vovinam worldwide.

Vovinam is currently present in 60 countries and territories, including many developed countries such as the United States, Germany, Russia, the United Kingdom, and France, with over 2.5 million practitioners. The Vovinam World Championship is a relatively traditional event, first held in 2002.

In 2023, the world championships held in Ho Chi Minh City attracted 650 athletes, coaches, and officials from 35 countries and territories, marking a significant increase in breadth. Many sports websites have assessed Vovinam as even having the potential to participate in the Asian Games or the Olympics. However, even in its home country of Southeast Asia, this Vietnamese martial art has yet to conquer the SEA Games.

Returning to the 2025 SEA Games, the opportunity for Vovinam remains glimmering, as the General Secretary of the Vietnam Vovinam Federation, Nguyen Binh Dinh, stated that next week, the General Secretary of the Thai Vovinam Federation will meet with the Thai Minister of Sports. With the SEA Games still a year away, there is still hope.