Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc - Historical lessons for modern education reform

Launched in September 2008 (VNU Publishing House), the 395-page book is a collection of 30 papers by authors at the conference "100 years of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc and educational reform in Vietnam today”, took place on May 22, 2007 at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities. The articles are arranged according to two main topics: 1. Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc and educational reforms in history; 2. Current educational reforms in Vietnam.

Introduction by Prof. Dinh Xuan Lam

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the founding of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc School in Hanoi (1907-2007), the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (Vietnam National University, Hanoi) organized a scientific conference “100 years of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc and the current educational reform in Vietnam”. Many researchers and lecturers inside and outside the school enthusiastically responded and sent to the conference organizing committee articles on two topics:

- Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc and educational reforms in history

- Education reform in Vietnam today

In the history of culture and education of our country, Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc School has a particularly important position and has had a profound influence as a new-style school in the early 20th century, a bright spot of Vietnamese education, and more than that, an important cultural, ideological and political movement in the revolution to liberate our nation at the beginning of the century.

An extremely unique phenomenon in the political, cultural and educational life of our people at this time was that in the same period, under the impact of colonial exploitation promoted by the French colonialists after the armed struggle movement under the Can Vuong flag was suppressed in blood, fire and steel - this was the first colonial exploitation - the economic structure as well as the social structure of Vietnam had changes, although they had just begun, but still created conditions for new ideological trends - the latest ideology was bourgeois ideology, from outside to flood in. Also due to the characteristics of Vietnamese society at this time, the division was not yet mature, so the people who took on the responsibility of receiving the new ideological trend were the patriotic scholars with progressive tendencies who recognized the disastrous bankruptcy of the feudal Confucian academic civilization, so they enthusiastically accepted the new academic civilization (bourgeois) from the West through two routes: China and Japan. The goal of the progressive patriotic scholars at that time was to “enlighten the people, strengthen the people’s spirit, and improve the people’s livelihood” to make the people rich and the country strong, to move towards self-reliance and self-reliance. That explains the appearance almost simultaneously from the South to the North of a series of schools, some early, some late, some many, some few, but almost everywhere, some with wide influence, some with narrow influence, but all with the common goal of educating and spreading new ideas, nurturing and promoting patriotism, creating a widespread movement among the people, within the trend of cultural reform and ideological innovation at that time. Of course, Hanoi with its long-standing tradition in history, as the capital of the Indochina federation during the French colonial period, had a leading important position in the movement, so the Dong Kinh Free School with its vibrant and diverse activities played a great role, had a profound influence, and was the pinnacle of the national movement at that time. Therefore, not only Vietnam celebrates the 100th anniversary of the founding of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc, but foreign countries also organize scientific conferences about that historical school of Vietnam. The scientific conference about Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc held in Aix-en - Provence (France) in early May 2007, with the participation of scientists and educators from Vietnam and many countries around the world is an example.

Another thing that needs to be mentioned - this is also a new feature in scientific thinking - is that studying history is not only for the purpose of glorification, of course glorifying the heroic, the noble in national history to create a legitimate pride for the people, for the nation is necessary, but there is also a more important requirement which is to study and draw historical lessons. Topic 2 of the Workshop to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Vietnam National University, Hanoi is from Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc in the early 20th century to the current educational reform in Vietnam, on that basis, drawing lessons on building a model of a learning society, on educational management, on the socialization of education, on educational reform. It is thought that these are urgent tasks to bring Vietnamese education to a new level, capable of meeting the great demands of Vietnam in the period of integration and development.

That is also the great wish and earnest desire of the editorial board of "100 years of Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc and the current educational reform in Vietnam" when transferring the proceedings of this conference to dear readers at home and abroad.

Hanoi, June 2008
Prof. Dinh Xuan Lam