Body of Vietnamese king who died in Algeria to be returned home

[Al-khiyal]

Patriotic king’s body to be brought home

Viet Nam, April 2, 2008 -- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the People’s Committee of Thua Thien-Hue province are about to bring the body of King Ham Nghi (1871-1943, on throne from 1884-1885) from France to Hue city.

Phung Phu, Director of the Centre for Preservation of Relics in the ancient capital of Hue, said local authorities have assigned the centre to seek a suitable place to bury the body of the patriotic King Ham Nghi, whose tomb is now in Thoniac Cemetery, over 50km from Paris, France.

Phu said the centre planned to put the king’s body in the zone with the tombs of kings Thanh Thai and Duy Tan in Vinh Ninh ward, Hue city. However, representatives of the Nguyen Phuoc family suggested another place, adjacent to the Dong Khanh royal tomb.

Researcher Nguyen Dac Xuan said that there is too little space to put the tomb of King Ham Nghi into the current zone with the tombs of kings Thanh Thai and Duy Tan. Moreover, King Ham Nghi’s tomb would be a third wheel, situated as it would be between father and son, King Thanh Thai and King Duy Tan.

Xuan suggested that Hue should have a special zone for the tombs of King Ham Nghi, Ton That Thuyet and Tran Xuan Soan, who initiated the Can Vuong movement, the first national anti-French campaign, a very important event in history.

At the age of 14, Prince Nguyen Phuc Ung Lich ascended to the throne and became Emperor Ham Nghi. On July 4, 1885, Ham Nghi left the throne to go to Tan So with his court officials, and issued the Can Vuong Proclamation to launch a national anti-French movement.

King Ham Nghi was arrested on January 13, 1889 and sent into exile in France. During his time in France, he married a French girl and had two daughters and a son. He died in Algeria but his body was brought to his wife’s home town, Thonac village.

[Al-khiyal]

Ho Chi Minh City studio shoots TV series about Nguyen kings

Ho Chi Minh City, May 23, 2008 -- The Ho Chi Minh Television Film Studio is making a TV series on the Nguyen dynasty kings, who were known for their resistance against French colonialism.

The main characters in the series, titled Đi Tìm Dấu Tích Ba Vua (Tracing the Vestiges of Three Kings), are King Ham Nghi, King Thanh Thai and King Duy Tan.

The Nguyen dynasty was Vietnam’s last royalty.

Ham Nghi was crowned in 1885 when he was only 12 years old, while the country and the Nguyen royalty were controlled by the French.

The king left the imperial capital of Hue for Quang Binh and Ha Tinh provinces to start the Can Vuong Movement, which called for nationwide resistance against the French.

He was caught and then sent to Algeria where he lived in exile until his death in 1938.

Thanh Thai became king when he was 10 years old. Young as he was, Thanh Thai was known for his patriotism. But his movement was extinguished by the French and he was sent into exile in Africa.

After the exile of Thanh Thai in 1907, the French brought his son, Duy Tan, to the throne when he was only eight years old. Duy Tan was as patriotic as his father. In 1916, the king was sent to Reunion Island off the coast of Africa.

The production crew for the series includes writers Nguyen Ho and Ngo Thao.

They traveled to many regions in the country, including Hue, Quang Tri, Quang Binh and Thanh Hoa, to meet historians and researchers and view relics relating to the kingdom.

"The Vietnamese admire the three kings for their indomitable spirit," said Ho, who wrote the script. "They would have wished to be dethroned and exiled than become the puppet kings of French colonialists."

King Ham Nghi presented a number of royal cloaks and swords to many people when he launched the Can Vuong Movement and established an anti-French resistance base in Huong Khe village (Ha Tinh Province) in 1885.

"After many decades, Huong Khe villagers have still kept these precious documents handed down to them from previous generations", the TV series director Dao Anh Dung said. "We also heard King Ham Nghi’s patriotic activities in Ha Tinh from the villagers."

The first 30 episodes which chronicle the time the three kings were in Viet Nam were completed recently, he said.

The production crew will leave for France next month to make 30 more episodes which will feature the life of the kings when they lived in exile.

"We’ll go to many regions in France and former French colonies in Africa to meet the royal offspring as well as collect more documentation relating to the kings," Ho said.

The TV series will be broadcast on HCM City Television (HTV) in October.