As part of his official visit to the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria, on the afternoon of November 20 (local time), at the capital city Algiers, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his spouse visited the Algerian Vovinam Federation. Accompanying the delegation on the Vietnamese side were Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Nguyen Van Hung and other high-ranking officials. On the Algerian side were representatives of the Ministry of Sports and local authorities.
Since the first Vovinam class was opened in Algeria in 2001 with 41 students, the martial art has grown strongly and spread widely over the past nearly 25 years. In Algeria alone, there are now hundreds of Vovinam clubs across 37 out of the country’s 58 provinces and cities, making Algeria one of the countries with the largest number of Vovinam practitioners in the world, second only to Vietnam. From Algeria, Vovinam has also spread to many other African nations, contributing to the expansion of Vietnamese martial arts in the region and across the world.
A performance by Algerian Vovinam practitioners
Watching the Vovinam performance by the Algerian national Vovinam team and athletes of the Algerian Vovinam Federation, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh expressed his heartfelt gratitude to Algerian friends and the community of more than 31,000 Vovinam practitioners in Algeria for their noble sporting spirit, their efforts to improve public health, and their special affection for Vietnam, its people, and the martial art of Vovinam. The Prime Minister wished for the Vietnam–Algeria friendship to “forever flourish and endure through time” and for the noble Vovinam spirit to continue spreading, strengthening the bond between the two nations.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, his spouse, and Minister Nguyen Van Hung presented commemorative medals to Algerian athletes who won medals at the 8th Vovinam World Championship held in Indonesia in November 2025. At the event, the Algerian team excelled with a total of 24 medals, including 9 gold, 10 silver, and 5 bronze medals, ranking second in the world after the Vietnamese team. The 9th Vovinam World Championship is expected to take place in Algeria in 2027. Previously, in 2015, the Vovinam World Championship was also held in this largest African country, which hosts the continent’s largest Vovinam community.
The activities at the Algerian Vovinam Federation were the final event in Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh’s official visit to Algeria.
The President of the Algerian Vovinam Federation presenting a souvenir to Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh (Photo: VNA)
Earlier, on the morning of November 20 (local time), Minister Nguyen Van Hung accompanied Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh to visit Ho Chi Minh Avenue in Algiers and attend the inauguration of a memorial plaque dedicated to President Ho Chi Minh. The plaque features inscriptions in both Arabic and Vietnamese, detailing the life and career of President Ho Chi Minh.
On the morning of November 19, during the official visit to Algeria, at the National Veterans Museum in Algiers, Minister Nguyen Van Hung attended the launch ceremony of the Arabic edition of “Dien Bien Phu,” a book by General Vo Nguyen Giap. The book has been published many times, with the General revising and refining it after each edition. It was reissued in 2024 and has now been published in Arabic. The latest edition includes revised and supplemental writings, materials, and historical events related to the Dien Bien Phu Campaign, compiled and selected by Mr. Vo Hong Nam, the General’s son. The publication and distribution of the Arabic edition of “Dien Bien Phu” in Algeria symbolize the deep affection between the peoples of Vietnam and Algeria, especially in their shared struggle for national independence and defense.
Pham Thi Ha Minh
(Department of International Cooperation – Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism)