Representatives of the leadership committee for the newly formed international body of Vovinam pose for photo at the inauguration ceremony in HCMC Friday.

Vovinam launched its official international organization under the name International Vovinam Federation (IVF) Friday at a ceremony in Ho Chi Minh City.

In attendance at the ceremony were representatives from 20 countries and regions, including France, Romania, Switzerland, the US and Burkina Faso.

The non-profit organization with headquarters based in HCMC was established with voluntary support from official Vovinam agencies around the world.

The rules of governance will accord with the International Olympic Charter. Written documents and other forms of communication will be conducted in English, French and Vietnamese, with English as the official language.

Nguyen Danh Thai, Vietnam’s Standing Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, will serve as the president of IVF.

Vietnam’s Vovinam Federation President Le Quoc An will be IVF’s standing vice president, with Nguyen Van Chieu and Dang Thanh Tam from the local federation in charge of technical issues and finance respectively.

Other vice presidents of the international body include Jean Pascal Kinda of Burkina Faso, Mohammad Nouchi of Iran, Yuri Popov of Russia, Francis Didier of France, Florin Macovei of Romania and Danka Abramiuc of Singapore.

Reported by Nghia Pham