Trần Anh Tuấn (left) is announced winner of the World Vovinam Championship's men's 54kg class. Photo baothanhoa.vn

HÀ NỘI  The biggest Vietnamese martial art festival in history has kicked off in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, with the participation of nearly 400 athletes from 24 countries and territories.

The sixth World Vovinam Championship is being held from December 16-22.

Athletes are competing for 44 sets of medals in both performance and combat events.

Việt Nam won a gold from Trần Anh Tuấn in the men's 54kg category on Wednesday, his third world championship.

Organisers said despite being home to the sport, Việt Nam will find it tough going to defend their top position because global athletes have made remarkable progress recently.

Algeria, France, Iran, Myanmar and the hosts are all threats this year.

Vovinam has been developed for 81 years and spread widely to the world with more than 2 million people practising in nearly 60 countries.

Apart from regional, continental and world championships, Vovinam has been part of the Asian Beach Games and Asian Indoor Games, among others. VNS