Who is the only teacher in Vietnam’s history to be revered as a scholar?

Vietnam is a country with a tradition of learning and education. Since ancient times, Vietnam has had many outstanding teachers. Let’s take a look at some of these great names.

Le Van Huu is a famous intellectual from the Tran dynasty. He passed the Imperial Examination at the young age of 17. After passing the exam, he was assigned to teach the princes of the Tran family, most notably Prince Chieu Van Tran Nhat Duat. Later on, he was given the task of writing the Dai Viet History – the first national history of the Vietnamese people.

“The dark shadows of evil must be horrifying / Heaven and Earth reveal their radiant aura / The land and water hold the noble grace.” These are the verses of Cao Ba Quat describing how teacher Chu Van An punished 7 flatterers during the reign of King Tran Du Tong.

Besides Chu Van An, another famous teacher who punished flatterers was Nguyen Binh Khiem (Trang Trinh). He was originally from Vinh Bao district, present-day Hai Phong. When serving the Mac dynasty, he demanded to punish 18 flatterers to King Mac Dang Doanh. The king did not listen, so he retired in 1542.

Nguyen Phi Khanh (1355-1428) was the father of Nguyen Trai. When working for the Tran and Ho dynasties, Nguyen Phi Khanh proposed educational reforms to Emperor Ho Quy Ly, such as incorporating mathematics into the national examination. He is considered a reformer of education in the late Tran dynasty.

Master Truong Van Hien was originally from Nghe An province, then settled in Binh Dinh. He taught both literature and martial arts. His students included 2 emperors (Nguyen Nhac and Nguyen Hue) and a prince (Nguyen Lu).

Nguyen Van Sieu was an exceptionally talented individual of our country during the Nguyen dynasty. His literary talent was so renowned that he was called “Than Sieu” (Superior Talent). Emperor Tu Duc, who was himself a famous poet, praised Nguyen Van Sieu’s literary talent in his poems.

La Son began to be noticed as a famous teacher in the late 18th century. Admiring his talent, King Quang Trung sent three invitations for him to take government positions and help the country. He made a prediction that “within 10 days, King Quang Trung would defeat the Qing army”.

Le Quy Don, the great scholar – He was a prominent figure during the Late Le Dynasty, as well as a poet, and was known as “the great scholar of Vietnam in the feudal era”.