Overturned chariot

by Phan, Bội Châu

"Phan (1867-1940) was the most prominent leader of the Vietnamese independence movement during the first quarter of the twentieth century and a living link between the older generation who initiated the struggle against French rule in Vietnam and the younger generation who carried that struggle to its conclusion. From the earliest days of the nation-wide Loyalist movement of 1885-1895 to the 1930s, Vietnamese resistance to foreign domination did not lose its cohesion and vigor thanks mainly to Phan and his associates. For this reason, during the more than twenty years following 1954, when Vietnam was divided between North and South, Phan's memory was honored and numerous studies of his life and writings were published in both parts of the country." "Looking back, Phan believed his career had been a failure, but one from which his compatriots could learn. For today's reader, Phan's memoir vividly conveys the vision of Vietnam and its position in the world held by one of the first and mo