HOME • SENSEI VU TRINH

Head InstructorSensei Vu Trinh

Sensei Vu Trinh has over fifty years of martial arts experience in the United States, Korea, and Vietnam. A native of Vietnam, Sensei Vu began learning Vovinam (Vietnamese martial arts) and Judo as a young boy. During the Vietnamese War, he trained US, Korean, and Vietnamese Marine troops in martial arts and close combat techniques. Sensei Vu also served as a trainer of US Special Forces scouts during the conflict.

After coming to America, Sensei Vu founded the Bamboo Dōjō in Tallahassee in 1979. He established the Dōjō as an official FSU athletic club in 1980. In the 1970s and 1980s, Sensei Vu successfully competed in the Tallahassee Open Championships, and twice claimed the title of Tallahassee Champion, with a dozen first place trophies. Sensei Vu guided former
Dōjō members Michael Hornback and Sensei Tomohiro as they trained to win National Championships.

In addition to his accomplishments in Cuong Nhu, Sensei Vu is competent in several other styles of martial arts. He specializes in the use of the sai, the tonfa, the Chinese sword, the Japanese sword, and the three-sectional staff, all martial arts weapons. One of his favorite martial arts styles is Shaolin, which he has been practicing for more than ten years. When he visits Vietnam he works out with a Shaolin group there. His broad range of experience makes him well qualified to train students for self-defense techniques and for tournament competition.

Sensei Vu has worked as an engineer for the Florida Department of Transportation for more than 25 years and was promoted to the position of airport engineer manager. Although his job takes up much of his time he is still dedicated to the martial arts, and teaches Cuong Nhu at FSU or off campus almost every night of the week.