New insights around the Vo Tru and Tran Cao Van uprising in Phu Yen (1900)

Abstract

In the context of increasing colonial exploitation policy of the colonial regime, following the period of struggling against the French imperialist aggression by the gathering of resistance centers across the country, some localities also rose up, including the rebellion led by Vo Tru and Tran Cao Van in Phu Yen. Due to the scarce local resources, moreover, it is heavily influenced by popular perceptions of folklore, the research topics so far about this event have been mostly inaccurate, arbitrarily inferred or copied, stereotyped; for example, the flag named ``Minh Trai Chu Te'', the fusion of religions or even of the idealization of Buddhism, the forces involved, the status of the leaders, etc. Based on the newly updated data source, this article conducts criticism of documents so far; at the same time, it provides reasonable explanations with the establishment of some new perceptions of the issue: Vo Tru was not from the circle of Buddhist monks, nor he and most of the party members were ``bandits of Buddhism''; Tu Quang/Da Trang Pagoda was not the headquarters or a main base for gathering forces of the insurgency; Vo Tru and Tran Cao Van were the two enthusiastic Confuciannist leaders who campaigned against the French colonialists. Since then, the uprising bearing the names of these two leaders was a continuation of the Can Vuong movement in Phu Yen and in the whole country in general. This is also a practical historical activity contributing to the restoration of this important event in a closer approach to the authenticity of history.