Grandmaster Nam Anh
Born of a family with a long tradition in the martial arts, Grand Master Nam Anh was initiated to the Shaolin martial way by his grandfather at a tender age.
In 1959, he undertook the study of Wu Tang under the supervision of Grand Master Kwan Say Ming, following a selective admission to become a member of the Ching-Wu International Association of martial arts. A combination of circumstances led him to his meeting of Grand Taoist Tchuong Tchong Fu and a mountain retreat with the Grand Master between 1967 and 1969.
From 1969 to 1975, he studied Wing Chun as a disciple of Master Ho Hai Long (Nguyen Duy Hai being his real name) himself being heir to the teachings of Grand Master Nguyen Te Cong (also known as Luong Vu Te). It was also at this period that Grand Master Nam Anh and Grand Master Ho Hai Long founded the Chan-Chi-Tao School, where the importance of concentration in the practice of breathing and the spirit are stressed.
Karma introduced him to Grand Master Hang Van Giai in the concentration camp of Chi-Hoa. Bound by the same destiny, the two political captives rapidly became good companions. In these times of great hardships, between 1975 and 1977, he was initiated to the esoteric sciences of geomancy, physiognonomy and divinatory arts . After he was set free, it was also through Hang Van Giai’s recommendations that he was able to become Grand Master Nguyen Minh‘s intimate disciple between 1977 and 1983. He was then able to complete his studies of Kung Fu : following nearly thirty years of training, Grand Master Nam Anh received the ninth degree red sash and was chosen Head Grand Master of the sixth generation of the Orthodox Shaolin Wing Chun School in Vietnam by delegation of the Diamond Temple. His selection was awarded to his knowledge and the close ties he had developed with modern society. Meanwhile, in 1978, he encountered Liu Ping (a taoist colleague of Tchuong Tchong Fu) who became his spiritual guide.
While leading an active career in the martial arts, Grand Master Nam Anh also followed other professional activities :
- Master’s degree in International Public Law from the University of Saigon and « Licencié ès Lettres » (a French diploma roughly equivalent to an M.A. degree) in French and German languages, at the Faculty of Education of the same institution
- 1969-1973 : member of the Association of Journalists in Vietnam, assistant to the editor in chief for the “Vo Thuât” or “Martial arts” magazine (the only one of its kind at that time in Vietnam)
- 1973 : member of the Bar of Vietnam
- 1973-1975 : legal advisor to the French embassy in Vietnam
- 1977-1986 : member of the Association of Jurists in Vietnam
In 1986, upon his arrival in Quebec, he became a professor at the University of Montreal for more than nine years and undertook Ph.D. studies in International Commerce Law.
Grand Master Nam Anh, founding president of the International Federation of Shaolin Wing Chun Nam Anh Kung Fu also set up the Quebec Order of Anmanatherapists. He is also the author of sixteen different works on martial arts, languages, architecture, oriental medicine, and Chinese astrology, all published in Vietnam between 1969 and 1975.
Excerpts from Grandmaster Nam Anh’s bibliography:
