Nguyễn Văn Bình

Nguyễn Văn Bình took up judo in 1953, having trained in various martial arts since the age of five, and three years later won his first national title in South Vietnam. He took up taekwondo in 1962, but remained active in judo and, after winning another national title, was selected to represent South Vietnam as a lightweight at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics. There, he was eliminated in Round One after losing both of his bouts.

Thereafter, Nguyễn worked as a martial arts master in Vietnam but also assisted the United States Army as a translator. Thus he fled to the United States after the end of the Vietnam War and eventually settled in Houston, Texas, where he was able to establish his own martial arts school, the Van Binh Self Defense Academy. He also founded the American branch of the International Taekwon-Do Federation.