Trainers and martial artists from both countries discussed the best ways to design a training and selection system for professional taekwondo martial artists.

Experts also pointed out the successes and failures of the Vietnamese and RoK taekwondo teams at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.

Truong Ngoc De, General Secretary of The Vietnam Taekwondo Federation (VTF), said the obstacles to Vietnam achieving good results in international taekwondo competitions is that the VTF cannot fulfill the training schedule, or afford the necessary equipment and accommodation for the martial artists and the athletes are so young.

The martial artists are still very inexperienced when they compete in international events and the VTF only receives limited information on their opponents, he added.

Meanwhile, the Head of the RoK Taekwondo trainers in Vietnam, Kim Jung Sik, said that although Vietnam is the first country to cooperate with the RoK in taekwondo, the country’s development in the sport is not as expected.

In the future, both countries should work together more closely effectively, he added.

Sik also said that, although the Vietnamese artists are fast and skillful, they do not have good stamina. Most RoK Taekwondo artists can practice 6-8 hours a day, but this is almost impossible for Vietnamese artists. He hoped that Vietnam will soon have a professional training system for young taekwondo artists and pledged to send trainers from the RoK to support the country’s efforts.

To begin the cooperation between the RoK and Vietnam, a national taekwondo tournament will be held to select the best martial artists for the national team on December 12, drawing the participation of more than 300 martial artists from 40 clubs across the country.