Southeast Asia Collection Blog

Phan Chau Trinh and his political writings / translated and edited by Vinh Sinh. Ithaca : Cornell University Press, c2009.

Phan Châu Trinh (1872-1926) is often credited for being the first and most articulate champion of democracy and popular rights in Vietnam. Like his contemporary Phan Bôi Châu, Phan Châu Trinh was a staunch Vietnamese nationalist who was committed to bringing about real political and cultural change in Vietnam. The two differed only with respect to their methods. Whereas Phan Bôi Châu was convinced that only by means of armed resistance would the Vietnamese achieve national independence from the French, Phan Châu Trinh eschewed violence. He argued that the key to realizing national independence lay in achieving fundamental changes within Vietnamese culture and society. In a sense, he was taking a leaf from the writings of Chinese scholar Kang Youwei (1858-1927), who stood for “self-strengthening.”

The present volume includes a biographical chronology and a very useful introduction in which the author provides some historical background on the life and work of Phan Châu Trinh, thus setting the stage for the highlight of the book, the translations of four of Phan Châu Trinh’s best-known essays.