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It has been 120 years since the patriot Mai Xuan Thuong – leader of the Can Vuong movement against the French annexation in Binh Dinh- was arrested and executed by dissection at Go Cham (An Nhon district). One question has been raised: why was the big resistance movement, taking place from Quang Ngai to Binh Thuan, rapidly broken up?
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Mai Xuan Thuong’s tomb in the Tay Son district.
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* One of the cradles of resistance movements
Together with other provinces in Vietnam, the Can Vuong movement in Binh Dinh led by patriotic scholars took place largely. On August 15, 1885 feudal intellectuals in Binh Dinh issued a proclamation to appeal the Binh Dinh people and those who lived in Phu Yen, Khanh Hoa and Binh Thuan provinces. “You should know that our King had been driven out of the palace…the people were miserable. Our mission is to gather people who have the same sense of purpose from 5 districts to establish an army to oppose the French occupation. We will retake the capital city and restore our king to the throne. At the time, our country will be peaceful.” (extracted from the revolutionary Proclamation)
At the same time there was an examination in Binh Dinh. When hearing that the capital city had been lost and the king had been driven out, examinees gave up the examination to return their homelands to gather the people to be against the French conquest. In Binh Dinh, the feudal intellectuals headed by Dao Doan Dich seized control of the Binh Dinh citadel and issued the revolutionary Proclamation to Southern and central provinces. The movement grew up in strength within two year and almost took control of Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces. “ All the people had had antipathies to us,” said a French general in 1886
The revolutionary war was held at every village. The people were armed with local made weapons. “ They set up a foundry for the making of guns. At that time, almost the people and mandarins in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen provinces joined the movement.” (extracted from the Dumas major’s report to the Commander-in-chief on March 4, 1887). According to Quynhon’s ambassador, 6,000 insurgents occupied the area in Phu My district. There were 1,723 insurgents’ leaders including 1,341 military leaders and 382 civilian ones.
* The movement was suppressed
As the movement became stronger and stronger, the French colonialists couldn’t stand still. They started to open a campaign to suppress the patriots. The French colonialists, however, at that time had only 40,000 soldiers who were coping with the uprisings in Northern provinces, so they only could open the campaign to Hue. In central provinces, the southern feudal authorities would be in charge of suppressing, in which Nguyen Than would be responsible for the southern area of Quang Ngai, Tran Ba Loc who was under Aymonier’s control would be for Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa.
Under the attack of Loc and Aymonier, Binh Thuan and Khanh Hoa on September 1886 completely belonged to the French colonialists. Some leaders had to found shelter in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen. In Quang Ngai province, the movement was absolutely suppressed. At that time, Binh Dinh and Phu Yen became forts for the movement.
After quelling Northern provinces, the French colonialists began raiding the revolutionary bases. They deployed 1,300 soldiers under the lieutenant colonel Cheuvreux’s control, Tran Ba Loc and the ambassador Tirant to attack most bases of the Can Vuong movement in Binh Dinh.
The battle took place violently, but because the insurgents were armed with rudimentary weapons and had low fighting skills, they couldn’t resist the attacks of the French colonialists. The movement was quickly suppressed and most leaders were arrested. Only 50 people who were loyal with Mai Xuan Thuong moved to Phu Yen to again build the movement, but they were finally arrested and beheaded.
* Historical lessons
Why was such a big resistance movement in Binh Dinh and Phu Yen quickly broken up even though the French authorities had judged that it had been very difficult to put down the movement?
Firstly, the aims of the movement weren’t consistent with each other. The king Ham Nghi initiated the Can Vuong movement in Phu Yen whereas in Binh Dinh the movement under the Mai Xuan Thuong’s control aimed at restoring the Tay Son dynasty even though its initial target was to be against the French colonialists.
Secondly, Binh Dinh was a province geographically situated far from the political centers, so there wasn’t enough the information. When it was, therefore, attacked by the French soldiers and Southern feudal authorities, it wasn’t supported from other forces.
Anyway, the resistance movement showed the powerful uprising against the French occupation in the central provinces in general and in Binh Dinh in particular.
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