Wholeheartedly devoted to comrades

Huynh Thuc Khang devoted himself to his comrades (left photo) and Phan Chau Trinh's funeral in Saigon. Photo: Document

Writing the epitaph for Tran Quy Cap's tomb

When Tran Quy Cap was beheaded in Khanh Hoa , Huynh Thuc Khang was imprisoned in Hoi An prison. Mr. Huynh could not come to pay his respects in person, so he sent his sympathy through a poem and a couplet instead of two incense sticks to say goodbye. Thi tu tung thoai (Nam Cuong Publishing House, Saigon, 1951), a book compiled by Mr. Huynh in Chinese and translated into Quoc Ngu by the author himself, on pages 17 and 18, recorded this story.

The parallel sentences were translated into Vietnamese: The senior student of Western education suddenly lost an arm, his eyes were blind for thousands of miles, the young friend looked back and cried./ A life of fame and fortune has two difficult paths, a small official, an old mother leaning against the door, feeling sorry and in pain.

The poem is the same: Swords and books invade and separate the land / Becoming an official is for the mother, not for money / Determined to use education to replace slavery / Who knows that the people's rights give rise to disaster / The wind has not yet brought the dream / Ancient Nha Trang is already crying its sacred soul / Saying goodbye to the cup of wine that is still hot / Da Nang bids farewell as we get on the boat.

In particular, Huynh Thuc Khang was the one who wrote the epitaph for Tran Quy Cap's tomb, which still remains today at his grave in Bat Nhi village (Dien Phuoc commune, Dien Ban town). In 1938, Dien Ban people and the Tran clan renovated the tomb and erected a stele for Tran Quy Cap. Huynh Thuc Khang was the person who was trusted to write the epitaph. He wrote Thai Xuyen Tran Quy Cap's biography. This is a text that, although only about 2,000 words long and under the colonial regime, with concise language and rich in information, fully describes the thoughts, activities, personality and especially the hidden "confessions" of Tran Quy Cap.

Researcher Tran Viet Ngac said: "Reading the epitaph, everyone knows that Tran Quy Cap was an intelligent student, a lover of books, a deep thinker, a devoted friend, a filial son, a tireless teacher and a revolutionary who advocated for civil rights...".

Write a biography of Phan Chau Trinh

For Phan Chau Trinh, Huynh Thuc Khang was also the person who witnessed his death, read the eulogy, escorted him to his final resting place and wrote a biography about the life of the "first politician and revolutionary" of Vietnam.

Although Phan Chau Trinh returned to the country in June 1925 and was eager to meet Huynh Thuc Khang for both public and private matters, it was not until the end of March 1926 that the two men were able to meet, when it was too late.

In the book Huynh Thuc Khang's Chronicle and Letter in Response to Ky Ngoai Hau Cuong De (Culture - Information Publishing House, 2000), the author said on page 61: "Bao Dai's first year (Binh Dan - 1926). In February, I heard that Tay Ho was seriously ill, urging me to go to the South, but I had to go through the procedures to get an identity card, and the villagers stayed for several days. When I arrived in Saigon, Tay Ho's illness was so severe that I could not sit up. I could only look at each other and smile, but when we talked, we had a final word: "It was enough for us to see each other in this world for a short time; our lifelong courage has illuminated each other, no need to discuss much. From that night, Tay Ho passed away!"

In the article "Portrait of Phan Chau Trinh in the eyes of a son" by Nguyen Van Xuan, quoting the words of Mrs. Phan Thi Chau Lien (Phan Chau Trinh's eldest daughter) published in the special issue of Bach Khoa Magazine in March 1974 (commemorating the 48th anniversary of Phan Chau Trinh's death), there is a passage: "Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang, my uncle's close friend, was also very eager to enter, but was made difficult by Sogny with paperwork and had to travel by water, so he was slow to enter... It was almost evening on March 24 when Mr. Huynh arrived, just enough time for my uncle to exchange a last smile..." (Quoted from Le Thi Kinh in Phan Chau Trinh through new documents, Da Nang Publishing House, pages 618, 621).

At Phan Chau Trinh's funeral on the morning of April 4, 1926, Huynh Thuc Khang, as a representative of Central and Northern Vietnam, read a eulogy that was considered short but emotional to send his comrade to his final resting place. This eulogy was read after the eulogy of the Chairman of the Go Cong Mutual Aid Association and the eulogy of revolutionary Le Van Huan.

Unfortunately, we do not have the original text of the eulogy, but we know that the eulogies were evaluated by a "goodwill" newspaper: "... are emotional and very evocative words of praise for the great man, representing a great idea who has passed away and with a commitment to continue his noble and unfading example." (Quoted from Le Thi Kinh, op. cit., page 657).

In his eulogy, Huynh Thuc Khang also identified "Mr. (Phan Chau Trinh) as not only a patriot but also the first revolutionary politician of our Vietnam."

After the funeral, Huynh Thuc Khang returned to Tien Phuoc and began writing Phan Chau Trinh's biography. He then went to Da Nang and gave the manuscript of the book to Professor Le Am and his wife, telling them to keep it carefully and publish it when the opportunity arose. It was not until 1959 that Anh Minh Publishing House in Hue published it under the title Phan Tay Ho Mr. Dat Su. This is considered the first book written about Phan Chau Trinh. (Previously, it was rumored that Phan Khoi had written a book but it was confiscated by the French authorities, so it was not published and no trace remains).

Indeed, Huynh Thuc Khang has excellently fulfilled his "loyalty" to his two fellow countrymen, classmates, and above all, his comrades!

LE THI

Source: https://baodanang.vn/channel/5433/202505/het-long-nghia-tan-voi-dong-chi-4006283/