H.I.M. Emperor Khai Dinh of Viet-Nam has been particularly mistreated by the Communist forces, starting with Ho Chi Minh, to undermine the devotion to the monarchy by the People of Viet-Nam. In truth, Emperor Khai Dinh was a benevolent monarch whose devotion to the Buddhist Faith made him an unfailing man of peace and tranquility. During his reign, Viet-Nam had a much needed era of peace and rest which was used by the nationalists to build up strength for greater success in the future.
H.I.H. Prince Bu'u Dao was the younger brother of the heroic revolutionary monarch Emperor Ham Nghi. He was born on October 8, 1885 and reigned as Emperor of Viet-Nam from May 17, 1916 until November 6, 1925. He was called upon to replace H.I.M. Emperor Duy Tan, who had been deposed by the French for leading a rebellion against them. To take the place of an Emperor so popular and beloved as Duy Tan could not have been an easy task for anyone, however, Emperor Khai Dinh accepted the role to work with the French and try to make the best of a bad situation. His reigning title was the "auger of peace and stability".
The goal and guiding principle of the reign of Emperor Khai Dinh was to encourage modernization while keeping basic Vietnamese traditions in tact and to support independence through a policy of peaceful diplomacy and scholarly argument rather than through the use of force. The Emperor Khai Dinh had seen the result of the great courageous rebellions of Emperors Ham Nghi, Thanh Thai and Duy Tan. They had been heroic examples but none could defeat the modern French military and after each failed uprising the French became more harsh and restrictive in their government of the country. Emperor Khai Dinh was determined to give the French no such opportunity and instead urged for peace throughout the country and to show France and the world Vietnam was capable of self-rule and humane nationalism.
Part of the reason for this was the devout religious faith of Emperor Khai Dinh. He was a firm Buddhist who visited the great Thien Mau Tu Pagoda every day for prayer, meditations and making offerings to the Buddha. The Emperor never went on a trip without first going to the Pagoda, where he would pray for blessings and protection from Heaven, Earth and his Sacred Ancestors. Aside from his piety, His Majesty Khai Dinh was noted for his intelligence and efforts to modernize education in Vietnam. The archaic system of mandarin examinations was abolished and general education was encouraged.
Early on, because of his support of peace and learning H.M. Khai Dinh was an early enemy of the Communist Party. The leader Ho Chi Minh wrote a treasonous play called "The Bamboo Dragon" in which he attacked the Emperor Khai Dinh and blamed him for the conditions imposed by the French. Ho was already living in exile as a criminal, but his play was so terrible that even years later his own Communist Party comrades in Hanoi refused to perform it, ashamed that their leader could write something so bad.
Emperor Khai Dinh, despite the Communist attacks, was the leader of the progressive constitutionalists which demanded such reforms as the formation of a Consultative Assembly, democratically elected, as well as the appointment of ministers who would be answerable to the Vietnamese Emperor rather than the French. In 1922 the Emperor Khai Dinh made history by going to France, the first time a Vietnamese monarch had crossed the oceans to visit Europe. While in Paris the Emperor spoke out in favor of freedom and self-determination for Vietnam and urged the French to stop their brutal tactics and cooperate with the Vietnamese government as equals. He was frustrated by French attitudes and their lack of concessions when he had done nothing but display good feelings and peace toward their government. He died disappointed and disillusioned in 1925, when the throne passed to his son, Emperor Bao Dai. |
