Teaching Martial Arts to Hearing-Impaired Children

A Martial Arts Class in Silence

Adjusting his still-new white martial arts uniform, with a green belt tied around his waist, Phung Bao Han sat quietly cross-legged alongside his classmates on the training mat. In the brightly illuminated practice room, two martial arts instructors showcased techniques for all the students. Whenever it was their turn, the students stepped up onto the mat to receive hands-on instruction — communicated not through spoken words, but solely through movements and gestures.

Now 18 years old and hailing from Quang Ngai, Phung Bao Han is presently a seventh-grade student at the Lam Dong Center for Inclusive Education Development Support. Han mentioned that he has been studying in Da Lat for two years because the schools for hearing- and speech-impaired students in his hometown only provide education up to the primary level.

“I have had a passion for martial arts since childhood. The class is quite fun, and the instructors are incredibly committed,” Bao Han wrote carefully forming short sentences on paper. His cheerful demeanor and constant grin made our discussion feel warm and genuine.

Another student, Nguyen Tran Anh Thu, 17, from Dak Lak, is also a seventh grader at the center. After living in the boarding facility for two years, Anh Thu quickly asked a teacher to enroll her as soon as she heard about the martial arts class. “I practice martial arts for self-defense. The instructors are very kind and genuinely care about us,” she wrote.

Spreading Compassion Through Martial Arts

Situated on a spacious 1.6-hectare campus in Cam Ly Ward, the center has recently been upgraded with modern facilities. It was established in July 2024 following the merger of the former Lam Dong School for the Deaf and the Hoa Phong Lan School for Children with Intellectual Disabilities.

The center currently provides care and education for 250 students with disabilities, including 130 students with hearing and speech impairments and 120 students with intellectual disabilities. Most of them come from remote areas, and more than 90 percent live in the center’s boarding facilities.

The establishment of the volunteer martial arts class was made possible by the efforts of Vu Thi Thuy Binh, who was born in 1956 in Cam Ly Ward, Da Lat. She is a former lecturer at Yersin University and holds a second-degree black belt in Aikido. Binh, who lives close to the center, often volunteered and contributed to the center's activities. Noticing that the students needed an evening activity to enhance their physical well-being and alleviate academic pressure, she suggested creating a free martial arts class for them.

To set up the class, Binh personally invested approximately VND 30 million to buy training mats and provide uniforms for 35 students. Additionally, the center arranged for teachers to support communication with hearing-impaired students during the classes.

Co-teaching the class with Binh is Tran Anh Son, an Aikido master with a fourth-degree black belt who operates his own Aikido club. Even with his demanding personal commitments, Son volunteers his time to instruct the students.

Son said that the students are joyful, endearing, and quick to learn. Although they are unable to communicate verbally, they effectively understand and engage with each other through eye contact and gestures. Many students have demonstrated significant improvement since they began attending the class.

For instructor Binh, the martial arts class is not only a meaningful recreational activity but also a way to help students improve their health, learn self-defense skills, and gain confidence in integrating into society. Her greatest joy is seeing the students become happier and more confident each day while spreading compassion through martial arts education.