Originally published in Viet News and Viet Times
Written by Sarah Guiney, a graduate of the Change Our Game Women in Sports Media Program.
When Amy Huynh first graced the doorstep of the Vovinam Australia Quang Minh Centre, aged only 7, it was with all the reluctance of a child being dragged along somewhere new with her brothers.
Fast forward 20 years and Amy is now a senior instructor, holding a yellow belt dan 3 – just one ranking beneath the Master belt that sits at the pinnacle of the sport.
“I remember I was just like: well, I’m here. I’m going to really try my best, try really hard and see where that takes me, and it just kind of clicked in my brain,” she explained.
Vovinam is a lesser-known martial art in Australia, but it was formative for Amy, teaching her the strength and resilience that make her who she is today. So when she became an instructor at age 15, Amy relished the opportunity to give back to a community that had already offered her so much.
“We’re all just so giving because this sport is so dear to us. Especially when we grew up with it, and now we’re kind of running the centre. We’re continuing the legacy. And that’s a big thing; it holds a lot of weight.”
Amy’s centre showcases Vovinam at Lunar New Year events annually around Melbourne, and these demonstrations are her true passion. She stars in a performance called ‘Self -defense of a Woman,’ in which she fights off several male assailants, demonstrating the sport’s signature flying leg takedown.
To Amy, her performances are all about empowerment.
“It shows that I’m able to defend myself,” she said. “It’s not just surviving these attackers, but it’s also showcasing that I can overpower them as well, and that I can do it with confidence and fierceness.”
While women are often underrepresented within martial arts, Amy was never short of women to look to as role models. It’s something she strives to replicate through her demonstrations, and she wants to inspire more women and girls to get involved.
“I know that there’s a wow factor there, because that’s the whole essence of the performance, but I hope it reaches them a bit further than that… That I give them confidence to know that they are capable, and they are strong, and they can do it. I live it and I breathe it, and I am so proud of it.”
As seven-year-old Amy learnt, it all starts with that first step.
This piece was produced in collaboration with the Victorian Government’s Office for Women in Sport and Recreation.
Page last updated: 3 April 2025
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