481 - Why Was The Tonkin School Dangerous? - Viet History Makers

·54 min·5 clips

Kenneth Nguyen urges listeners to preserve their family's raw, soul-crushing stories before silence takes over.

The episode begins with a promotional segment for Vietnam Story Bank, urging listeners to preserve family histories. Kenneth Nguyen then welcomes guest Kevin Phan, and they briefly discuss the weight of current events before pivoting to education. They introduce the Tonkin Free School (Dong Kinh Nghia Toc), which operated in Hanoi for only about 10 months in 1907 but significantly influenced Vietnam's modernization. The hosts connect this historical case to modern issues, noting book bans and syllabus restrictions in US states like Florida. Kevin provides background on the purpose of universities, citing Wilhelm von Humboldt's model from early 19th-century Prussia, which emphasized the pursuit of knowledge over practical skills and tolerated dissenting voices. They discuss liberal arts education origins in ancient Greece and its relevance to Vietnam, noting Confucian traditions that favor top-down, teacher-centered learning. The Tonkin School emerged as Vietnamese intellectuals, inspired by Japan's Meiji Restoration and figures like Phan Boi Chau and Phan Chu Chin, sought to foster nationalism and break from Confucian memorization. The school used textbooks like 'A New Method to Study Civilization' and 'The School Book of Morals' to promote patriotism, competition, hygiene, and Quoc Ngu (the Romanized Vietnamese script). Kevin reads quotes showing the school's admiration for European colonialism and social Darwinism, while also criticizing French exploitation. The school was shut down in 1908 after French authorities linked it to anti-colonial revolts. The discussion shifts to modern times, covering Fulbright University Vietnam and mandatory courses in Vietnamese higher education, such as Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh thought. Kenneth proposes a future episode with co-host Yen Vu about Fulbright. The episode concludes by reflecting on the universal tension between philosophical inquiry and political conformity, drawing parallels between Vietnam and the US.

As heard by us

A textbook account of civilization opens into a thoughtful discussion of hierarchy, democracy, and freedom of thought.

Why would some books be treated as dangerous to traditional values? The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen uses that question to open a broader discussion about civilization, hierarchy, and freedom of thought.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Press play when a discussion of old Vietnamese textbooks starts sounding like a live argument about democracy.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from The Vietnamese with Kenneth Nguyen