He entered in 1980 in master Pham Xuan Tong’s sword school composed
by only 6 pupils: Alain Delplanque, Carol Zewald, Marc Martin, Rene
Mendy, Marcel Bertone, and Patrick Levet.
In February 1981 he is Instructor of Viet Vo Dao, working in the Viet
Vo Dao Club of Mister Nguyen Bernard in La Valette City.
Later, Master Pham Xuan Tong would found his own school and a lot of
his pupils, included Patrick, would follow him, leaving Viet Vo Dao.
From 1985 to 1988 he is member of a security agency. He combines his
professional activity with regular trips to the Far East, Taiwan, Thailand,
Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, etc.
He arrives to Canary Islands in 1988 and works as professional martial
arts instructor. He practiced with the Vovinam Viet Vo Dao teacher Olivier
Godefroid. Olivier Godefroid is the first pioneer of Vovinam Viet Vo
Dao in Spain. He introduced Vovinam in Canary Islands in 1984.
During July of 1991 Patrick Levet spent a month in Vietnam for the first
time. He participated in demonstrations in several cities of Vietnam
with the Quan Ki Do World Team.
It is in that time when Patrick, with his friends Jacques Goavec Mevel
and Antonio Morales Gatell, began contact and relationship with Master
Nguyen Van Chieu, one of the leaders of Vovinam Viet Vo Dao in Vietnam.
From 1988 to 1996 Patrick teaches several martial arts, but in December
1996 he has so many work to do with Vovinam Viet Vo Dao that he decided
to teach only this school, and quit the other martial arts.
In the last 16 years (1991-2007) Patrick Levet traveled 35 times to
Vietnam to train and improve his skills. He also passed all his high
degree belt exams in Vietnam in front of Vovinam masters, in the same
conditions as the Vietnamese Mon Sinh. Since 1999 he lives in Vietnam.
During years, Patrick shuttled from Vietnam to all corners of the world
to spread Vovinam in new countries. In order to work at an international
level, he founded an official organization, recognized as an international
Vovinam development entity: the Intercontinental Vovinam Viet Vo Dao
Association.
In some countries where Vovinam is present, a great number of teachers
is reluctant to the use of politic and problems linked to the Vietnam
War inside Vovinam, as well as the "stir up ill-feeling" tactics
between masters. After having observed the legal and clear functioning
of the Intercontinental Association, step by step many masters and teachers
joined this organization, which gathers now almost 30 countries.
Master Patrick Levet, teaches Vovinam Viet Vo Dao in four continents.
He has taught Vovinam to students from all over the world: Algeria,
Argentina, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Great Britain, Holland,
Iceland, Iran, Italy, Morocco, Pakistan, Poland, Spain, Rumania, Switzerland,
The United States of America and Vietnam.
Patrick Levet is the first Occidental to win medals in a Vietnamese
Championship, with 15 medals, included 3 gold ones. As the first foreign
well-known winner he opened a new era in Vovinam. Although he understands
the situation and the problems caused to Vovinam by the actual government
of Vietnam, he also wanted to stop the “embargo” to the
Vietnamese Vovinam practitioners. As he said some years ago: “The
political situation in Vietnam is dramatic and sad…This country
needs a solution to be a free country again, but the Vietnamese Vovinam
practitioners do need regular and official contacts with occident…They
are not guilty for the attitude of their nation’s leaders.
To enhance those contacts, Patrick Levet, with the precious help of
master Tran Dai Chieu (Germany) co-organized the 1st International Vovinam
Championship held in Vietnam and inaugurated the first participation
of occidental countries in an official Vovinam championship in Vietnam.
For the first time since its foundation, Vovinam is placed at the same
level as the big martial arts styles in the world, thanks to the production
of a series of didactic videotapes published in 6 languages and distributed
in 53 nations. This new hit, praised by the majority of us and criticized
by others, has a positive side recognized by everybody: Vovinam needed
that kind of work.
Patrick Levet is really special person, he is the first foreigner to
be an official Vovinam referee in Vietnam, the first occidental to teach
Vovinam to Vietnamese practitioners in Vietnam and he is also the only
foreigner to be part of the juries of the Belt Exams in Vietnam.
Author of:
2 Vovinam books (1998 and 2006)
4 international DVD´s
|
0 nhận xét:
Đăng nhận xét