Phan Dinh Phung: leader of the patriotic movement in late 19^th century

Phan Dinh Phung (1847-1895) whose homeland was in La Son, Ha Tinh was an exemplary leader of the anti-French movements in late the 19^th century. In 1885, in response to the Can Vuong (Save the King) edict, he recruited troops from four provinces in central Vietnam and set up a resistance base in Huong Khe, Ha Tinh. The insurgent army, armed with self-made weapons, gained a number of resounding victories. Unfortunately, Phan Dinh Phung died of serious illness in 1895 at the guerrilla headquarters after which the Huong Khe insurrection, the height of Can Vuong movement, gradually dwindled.

Phan Dinh Phung was an exemplary leader of the patriotic anti-French movement in late the 19^th century. He was born in 1847 in Dong Thai village, La Son district, Ha Tinh province (present-day Chau Phong commune, Duc Tho district, Ha Tinh) into the family of scholars. His father was Phan Dinh Tuyen, a junior doctor, his two elder brothers were Phan Dinh Thong, a revolutionary scholar and Phan Dinh Thuat, a bachelor; and his younger brother was Phan Dinh Van, a junior doctor.

Phan Dinh Phung got the bachelor’s degree in 1876. Next year, he became the first laureate at the court examination and was appointed as the chief of Yen Khanh district (Ninh Binh province). Later, he was shifted to Hue capital and promoted to the post of court counsellor of the censorship board. He was well-known in the court for his uprightness and straightforwardness. In 1882, he submitted a petition imputing chamberlain Nguyen Chanh for "commanding the troops without sending reinforcements" upon the attack by the French on Nam Dinh fortress. Holding a different point of view from Ton That Thuyet on dethroning Duc Duc to enthrone Hiep Hoa in 1883, he was dismissed and came back home where he set up a farm taking the pseudonym of Chau Phong.

In 1885, in response to the Can Vuong edict, Phan Dinh Phung gathered forces to resist the French. Heroes and talented men throughout the four provinces of Thanh Hoa, Nghe An, Ha Tinh and Quang Binh were willing to integrate their forces under his leadership. The insurgent troops built their resistance base in Huong Son, Huong Khe, Ha Tinh.

Phan Dinh Phung organised the insurgent troops into a regular army with the same uniforms and strict discipline. The troops were deployed in localities throughout the four provinces who harmoniously combined their military activities in accordance with the plan worked out by the Headquarters in the Vu Quang mountain. Phan Dinh Phung and his general Cao Thang studied and successfully produced approximately 500 rifles similar to the French 1874 type to arm the insurgent troops.

Phan Dinh Phung attached great importance to agitation and propaganda among the enemy troops. He often instructed his troops "to kill the native soldiers only when you are forced to, because they are our compatriots."

His ethics and talents won the hearts and minds of many talented generals such as Cao Thang, Nguyen Thanh, Nguyen Trach, Phan Dinh Cam, Cam Ba Thuoc, Nguyen Muc, etc who were wholeheartedly loyal to the struggle against the French.

In ten successive years (1885-1895), despite all difficulties and hardships, Phan Dinh Phung’s troops inflicted heavy casualties on the French enemy. Together with his military tactics of forward and backward movements, post attack, destruction of reinforcement, he led the insurgents to build combat villages and applied guerrilla warfare with pitfalls and blind ditches. Of the victorious post attacks, the Vu Quang battle (in October 1894) was the most well-known and resounding victory that inflicted on the enemy the heaviest loss.

The French colonialists, realising it hard to suppress the insurrection by military strength, resorted to tricks to seduce and buy over Phan Dinh Phung. They had some local agents such as Phan Trong Muu, Vo Khoa and Hoang Cao Khai who wrote to him out of old friendship and sentiment to seduce him to capitulation. Phan Dinh Phung kept his firm faithfulness and declined all the sweet speech. Unfortunately, while the struggle was waging on, Phan Dinh Phung died of dysentery in December 1895 at the headquarters on Mount Quat at the age of 49.

Phan Dinh Phung’s death put an end to the insurrection. However, the Huong Khe insurrection deserved to be the culmination of the Can Vuong movement. This also marked the end of the leadership of the feudal Vietnamese intellectuals in the national struggle against the French.

Phan Dinh Phung was not only a talented leader but also a poet. He wrote a number of parallel sentences ‘Mourning Le Ninh, Grieving Cao Thang’ and poems ‘Poetic Passion after Combat Victory’, ‘Writing Inspiration upon Seeing the Puppet Troops’, ‘In response to Hoang Cao Khai’, etc. His works show us the loyalty of a great scholar to his country and people.