Self-study to become talented

The southernmost coastal strip of the Central region is a land of learning and cultural convergence. Here, in the early 20th century, there was the famous Duc Thanh School in Phan Thiet. On his way to find a way to save the country, the young man Nguyen Tat Thanh stopped at Duc Thanh School to teach and spread patriotism to the youth.

Today, Duc Thanh is one of the branches - revolutionary historical tradition - of Ho Chi Minh Museum. Binh Thuan is a tourist land, a place connecting and exchanging ethnic cultures of different regions. Learning - especially SELF-STUDY - to improve knowledge is really necessary, like air to breathe, like daily food and water.

Scholar Nguyen Hien Le is a self-taught example who once said: “Being lazy to study and read books is turning yourself into a despicable ignorant person.” There are many shining examples of self-studying to become talented people. Uncle Ho is a shining example of self-studying, a wise man who knows many foreign languages, a brilliant talent. Nguyen Hien Le, Phan Khoi… are also typical examples, they became famous writers, journalists, linguists, theorists, translators, and scholars.

Ut Mui Ne returned to Quang Nam and learned many examples of self-study, including the rare story of Phan Khoi "Proposing in French". Bao An village, Dien Quang commune, Dien Ban district, Quang Nam province, the Phan family is one of the three big families. The Phan family in Bao An village has up to 5 branches, Phan Khoi and Phan Thanh belong to the second branch, the 13th generation, with the same grandfather, the judge Phan Khac Nhu, the two are cousins. Phan Khoi is the son of his uncle, Phan Thanh is the son of his uncle, Phan Khoi is 41 years older than Phan Thanh.

Phan Thanh and Le Thi Xuyen from the neighboring village secretly loved each other, but Xuyen's family - also a prestigious family - did not support their love. One time, Phan Khoi's cousin, a writer and journalist in Saigon, came to Bao An village to visit his family. When he heard about the story, he was so upset that he volunteered to go to the neighboring village to meet Cuu, a girl who persuaded her younger brother to propose to her in French.

The bride's family admired Phan Khoi's intelligence, sharpness and humility. Phan Khoi asked his parents' permission to meet Le Thi Xuyen directly, they spoke to each other in French. The beautiful Xuyen had already agreed to Phan Thanh, so she agreed, the bride's family could not refuse. They became husband and wife after Phan Khoi's proposal in French. He was a good student but when he took the exam - the Huong exam in Binh Ngo year - 1906, he only passed the baccalaureate exam. Phan Khoi cried bitterly, despised the bribe-taking examiners, and wrote on the wall: A bunch of stupid people as ignorant as buffaloes/ It's not easy to mourn for me/ It's better to have stupid people under your butt/ Than have white officials on your head.

Phan Khoi and many of his friends who were good students - the list goes on to Phan Thiet, Phan Rang - Nha Trang, were all students of the famous scholar Tran Quy Cap. Phan Khoi hated the unfair examination system so he did not go to school to study for the exams, instead he SELF-STUDYED - that exams are boring (!). The French that Phan Khoi was fluent in to propose to his cousin was self-taught. Phan Khoi also learned Chinese characters by himself, translated the Bible; created the spirit of Western learning called Logic, now called Logic. He pioneered the application of Logic when writing Vietnamese, beautifying the language of our country.

Phan Khoi is one of the most proficient translators of Western languages. Phan Khoi, Phan Thanh and Le Thi Xuyen are all Quang people who set an example of SELF-STUDY, loyalty, patriotism, and followed Uncle Ho's call to the Viet Bac resistance base for 9 years. Phan Khoi participated in the Dong Du movement initiated by Phan Boi Chau; and was active in the Duy Tan patriotic movement of Phan Chu Trinh in the South Central Coast. It is a pity that during the Nhan Van Giai Pham period (1956 - 1958), Phan Khoi and a number of people were wronged, but were later exonerated. Ms. Le Thi Xuyen is the President of the Vietnam Women's Union.

2024 - Binh Thuan Education and Training Department, Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union of Binh Thuan province, Phan Thiet University... encourage reading, increase reading culture among young people, encourage the spirit of SELF-STUDY community. The life and career of scholar Phan Khoi (and many others) encourage the spirit of SELF-STUDY!

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