TRUONG VINH KY – A “CONFUCIAN MASTER” OF COCHINCHINA IN THE LATE 19TH CENTURY AND EARLY 20TH CENTURY
Abstract
Truong Vinh Ky (1837-1898) was a prestigious scholar in Southern Vietnam in the late 19th century. He worked as a translator, a teacher, a journalist, and a researcher and gained considerable achievements in every field he set his pen. As a teacher, he appreciated Western methodologies and selectively mixed them with traditional teaching patterns, but proudly preserving and developing Eastern ethical values. This educational ideology was carried out in various ways, including patiently teaching Sino-Nôm characters when they seemed to be overshadowed by the Latin characters and the Western culture. He believed Sino-Nôm characters to be a mean that kept Vietnamese people connected with their ancestors and traditions while modernizing themselves to suit the new era. His educational ideology and methodologies were highly appreciated and applied by many other scholars of his time.
Keywords: Truong Vinh Ky, Confucianism, Southern Vietnam