The term
võ phục may be used alone in the context of
Vietnamese martial arts or often to refer to the martial arts suit worn by practitioners of
Vovinam. The
Vietnamese alphabet pronunciation (and writing) of the word
võ phục differs from another common Vietnamese term
vô phúc (無福) "bad luck."
Usage with other martial art forms Võ phục may be used before the accepted name of another martial art in order to refer to the uniform of that particular martial art. For example,
võ phục Judo refers to the martial arts uniform used in Judo, known in Japanese as a Jūdōgi
(:wikt:柔道着). The term functions in the same way as "martial arts uniform of," in English: võ phục
(martial arts uniform of) Judo. History From 1938 to 1964, there was no official coloration associated with
võ phục. However, after a meeting between Vietnamese martial arts masters in 1964, indigo/deep blue was chosen to be the official color of Vietnamese martial arts uniforms. The official color was not necessarily adopted by all practitioners, as evidenced throughout 1973-1990 when many practitioners under a separate development of Vovinam, the "Viet Vo Dao Federation," wore black uniforms. By 1990, however, after further meetings between councils, indigo had been adopted by the majority of Vovinam practitioners in and outside of
Vietnam. Deep blue/indigo (Vietnamese: Lam) is now the internationally accepted color of Vo Phuc for Vietnamese martial arts. ==Construction==