Vietnam Embassy Hosts Guardian Girls Vovinam Japan Launch
Guardian Girls International (GGI), in collaboration with World Vovinam Federation (WVVF), officially held the Japan Launch Reception of the “Guardian Girls Vovinam (GGV)” initiative at the Embassy of Viet Nam in Japan on May 15, 2026. The GGV initiative is an international project that promotes the empowerment of women and girls through Vovinam, the traditional martial art originating from Viet Nam. Founded in 2019, GGI is an international NGO that has partnered with United Nations agencies, government institutions, international sports federations, and international NGOs to launch various Guardian Girls initiatives in more than 30 countries worldwide. WVVF is the international governing body headquartered in Viet Nam that oversees more than 70 national Vovinam federations globally.
In September 2025, GGI and WVVF officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) at the Official Residence of the Japanese Ambassador to Viet Nam, formally launching the Guardian Girls Vovinam (GGV) initiative at the global level. The launch ceremony received significant international attention and was widely covered by numerous media outlets, including state television broadcasters in Viet Nam and abroad.
GGV is an international initiative aimed at advancing the safety, leadership, and gender equality of women and girls. Viet Nam became the first ASEAN member country to officially launch a Guardian Girls project under GGI, and Vovinam became the first traditional martial art originating from Southeast Asia to serve as the foundation martial art for an international women’s empowerment initiative.
The reception was co-hosted by the Embassy of Viet Nam in Japan, GGI, and WVVF, with the cooperation of KIF Japan, Guardian Girls Japan, and rYojbaba, to officially launch GGV in Japan. The event welcomed distinguished guests from both Japan and Viet Nam, including H.E. Phạm Quang Hiệu, representatives from Japan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), renowned Yokozuna Hakuho Sho, Vietnamese community leaders based in the Tokyo metropolitan area, Mr. Bach Ngoc Chien of the World Vovinam Federation (WVVF), and Vovinam representatives from across Japan.
Opening remarks were delivered by Shin Koyamada, Secretary General and Executive Chairman of Guardian Girls International (GGI), and Mr. Bach Ngoc Chien, Vice President of WVVF, highlighting the growing partnership between Japan and Viet Nam through sports, culture, and women’s empowerment initiatives.
The reception also welcomed members of the Vietnamese community in Japan, as well as representatives from both the public and private sectors. Through GGV, the event promoted mutual understanding through cultural and sports exchange between Japan and Viet Nam, strengthened bilateral friendship between the two countries, and advanced the objectives of Sustainable Development Goal 5: Gender Equality.
Major Vietnamese media outlets extensively covered the event, with several broadcasters reporting on and airing coverage of the reception across Japan, Viet Nam, and internationally, further amplifying the global visibility of the Guardian Girls Vovinam initiative. The program also included a signing ceremony regarding future cooperation among GGI, WVVF, and Japanese Vovinam stakeholders, as well as live Vovinam demonstrations. Following the launch, GGV seminars and instructor certification courses will be organized in Japan to help raise awareness about gender-based violence (GBV) and promote the physical and mental empowerment of women.