Võ phục 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. The "võ phục" of Vovinam are very similar, if not nearly identical, to the "keikogi" of Japanese martial arts. Both top and bottom of the uniform are constructed in much the same way
Vovinam martial art philosophy, e.g. fighting spirit, courage, tenacity, fairness, modesty and tolerance. Above all the training in morality and the way of applying the techniques shape the students' character. Emphasis is placed on recognizing one's ego and overcoming it. In doing so the Vovinam student will gain generosity and tolerance with other people. With the awareness that the most important thing in a human's life are other humans, the final goal is to be able to not only help oneself but also to help others to live in peace and harmony with their surroundings. With the salutation "Iron Hand over