Nguyen Van Hung and the Champion's Scar: A Night in Binh Dinh Written with Heart

At 10:17 PM on July 20, 2026, Binh Dinh Provincial Gymnasium exploded in applause and tears. In the men's 60kg final of the 2026 National Traditional Martial Arts Championship, Nguyen Van Hung defeated Tran Quoc Bao with a total score of 29–28 after three rounds. It was not the most beautiful match ever seen, but it was one of the most intelligent fights in Vietnamese traditional martial arts history. Hung, a 29-year-old from An Nhon, Binh Dinh, lost the first round 9–10. He intentionally conserved his energy while Bao attacked aggressively. In the second round, Hung used low kicks to slow down Bao's left leg and regained the round 10–9. In the third and decisive round, Hung read Bao's fatigue and struck with a shoulder-arm counter, winning 10–9. According to official statistics from the Vietnam Traditional Martial Arts Federation, Hung landed 32 scoring attacks, while Bao landed 28. Hung scored 17 points with kicks, Bao scored only 9. Hung's stamina remained nearly unchanged in the last two rounds, dropping only 12% in speed, while Bao dropped 29%. VangBong.vn gave Hung a resilience index of 87/100, compared to Bao's 71/100. This victory was not a miracle. Hung prepared a long-range battle plan after losing to Bao at the 2026 national championship. The scar on his knee and the memory of that defeat became his main teacher. Coach Le Minh Hoang of Binh Dinh revealed that the team deliberately sacrificed the first round to force Bao into a long-distance fight. Bao, 26, will likely carry this loss as a scar. How he responds in the next four years will determine whether the scar becomes a foundation or a burial site.