The fascinating journey of the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script.

In creating this book on the history of the formation of the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script, Dr. Phạm Thị Kiều Ly and artist Tạ Huy Long hope to instill in readers, especially young children, a love for the Vietnamese language – the beautiful language we possess.

According to the book, the creative journey of the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script is the story of the development and popularization of the Latin-based Vietnamese writing system. Initially, this script was a tool to facilitate communication with the Vietnamese people, thereby making it easier to carry out missionary work; later, it was used as a code between missionaries and the four religions and was only taught in seminaries.

Following political and educational upheavals, the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script gradually replaced Chinese characters in the country's administrative documents, playing a role in enlightening the people and becoming the official writing system.

What is special about this book is that it is written in the language of semi-fictional comics, told through the narrative of Alexandre de Rhodes – a priest from the Vatican who came to Vietnam in the 17th century and made a significant contribution to printing the first Vietnamese dictionary (Vietnamese-Portuguese-Latin Dictionary) in 1651.

Dr. Pham Thi Kieu Ly chose Alexandre de Rhodes as the narrator because he was a priest who lived in both the North and South of Vietnam, understanding the customs and traditions of both regions. He left behind many works, providing the data needed to construct the plot for this book. In addition to incorporating dialogues with the main character's emotions, the author respects the key historical milestones and events that led to the creation of the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script.

Dr. Pham Thi Kieu Ly stated that the content of this book is based on her doctoral dissertation on the history of Vietnamese grammar and Latin-based writing, as well as archival materials from Europe and books about the missionary journeys of the missionaries. From the 640-page dissertation, the author condensed it into a concise and vividly illustrated 126-page book.

Regarding the book, the author asserts: “Alexandre de Rhodes was not the first to write Vietnamese using Latin characters. Before Alexandre de Rhodes, there was Francisco de Pina, a Portuguese priest, who compiled a small dictionary, but it was later lost. Father António de Fontes was the first to use the two letters “ơ” and “ư,” discovering the tones to record in a report in 1631. He also compiled a Vietnamese-Portuguese dictionary for himself and other priests to learn Vietnamese.”

However, during that creative process, Alexandre de Rhodes compiled the work of his predecessors, combining it with his own knowledge of Annam to print the Vietnamese-Portuguese-Latin dictionary in Rome in 1651.

Thus, the book "The Journey of Creating the Vietnamese National Script" combines historical and scientific knowledge with the author's imagination to explain the origin of the current Vietnamese writing system. The authors also created a special interview with three prominent figures in the creation of the Vietnamese national script: Alexandre De Rhodes, Francisco De Pina, and Gaspar do Amaral, discussing the process of creating the Latin script for the Vietnamese language.

The book incorporates many humorous details, such as when Alexandre De Rhodes first came to Vietnam, due to a confusion of tones, he mistakenly bought fish instead of eggplant; and because they didn't know Vietnamese, a monosyllabic language, the priests often wrote words together...

Besides depicting Alexandre De Rhodes's journey of researching and creating the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script, the author also includes a section on the Quốc ngữ script chronicles, recording important milestones in its development from the 17th century to the contributions of Vietnamese priests such as Filippe Bỉnh, Father Pao, Father Ngần, Father Liễn, etc.

That journey continued with the contributions of many other individuals who helped popularize the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script in Southern Vietnam, and later throughout the entire country.

Through this book, readers will gain a better understanding of how the Vietnamese Quốc ngữ script was adapted, popularized, and accepted over the years, its contribution to eradicating illiteracy during the French colonial period, and its recognition by President Ho Chi Minh as the official script of Vietnam since 1945.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/hanh-trinh-ly-ky-cua-chu-quoc-ngu-290513.html