Ceremony marks 140th birthday of Huynh Thuc Khang

A formal ceremony was held in the central province of Quang Nam on October 1 to mark the 140th anniversary of the birth of Huynh Thuc Khang, a prominent intellectual who lived during the period when Vietnam was under French rule and held the post of Acting President in 1946.

A performance at the ceremony to mark the 140th birthday of Huynh Thuc Khang

The function was attended by President Tran Dai Quang, Former President Truong Tan Sang, representatives from Huynh Thuc Khang’s family and the leaders of Quang Nam Province, Khang’s native region.

In his speech, President Tran Dai Quang expressed his deep gratitude to an exemplary patriotic intellectual who devoted his whole life to serving the nation and its people, and emphasised that his morality was a fine example for later generations to follow.

Born in 1876, Huynh Thuc Khang ranked first in the provincial civil service exam in 1900 and ranked third in the court exam four years later.

But he refused to become a royal mandarin and worked with contemporaries such as Phan Chau Trinh, Tran Quy Cap and Luong Van Can to launch the Duy Tan Movement, which sought to revive Vietnam through comprehensive educational, economic and cultural reform.

In 1908, Khang was arrested by the French and deported to Con Dao. After being freed, he continued to participate in patriotic activities, notably founding a newspaper called Tieng Dan (“The People’s Voice”) and becoming its editor-in-chief in 1927.

After the 1945 August Revolution, Khang was invited to join the provisional government to head the Ministry of Internal Affairs.

He was named Acting President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam in May 1946 when President Ho Chi Minh paid a visit to France, during which he actively strengthened the revolutionary government and thwarted plans of sabotage by reactionary forces.

Khang passed away in April 1947 in Quang Ngai Province.

President Tran Dai Quang emphasised that Khang was an important figure in linking different patriotic movements in the early 20th century with the one led by President Ho Chi Minh.

He also noted that Khang had made important contributions to literature and history, especially many valuable historical materials affirming Vietnam’s sovereignty over the Hoang Sa (Paracel) and Truong Sa (Spratly) archipelagos.

On the occasion of the anniversary, President Quang called on Party members and government officials to follow the example of Huynh Thuc Khang and do their best to serve the country and the people.

(Source: NDO)