When the French occupation forces discovered that Emperor Duy Tan was plotting against them he was promptly deposed and exiled along with his father, Emperor Thanh Thai. To replace him they chose the more docile prince, Nguyen Hoang Tong who was enthroned on May 18, 1916 as Emperor Khai Dinh. Despite the fact that his reign was peaceful and prosperous, history has not been kind to Emperor Khai Dinh. His friendliness with the French is often exaggerated to the point that he is painted as an employee of the superior-resident. In truth Khai Dinh was polite and formal with the French but not overly friendly. It was not something he was neccessarily happy about but he did cooperate with them and strove to make their forced coexistence as peaceful and painless as possible.
It was also during the reign of Khai Dinh that the revolutionary leader who later became known as Ho Chi Minh made his voice heard in stirring up hatred of the government. In a manner fitting for a traitor, that is cowardly, he waited until Emperor Khai Dinh visited France in 1922 to see the Marseilles Colonial Exhibition to make his verbal attack. Along with other enemies of the throne, some in exile, the Emperor was slandered during his absence. Ho Chi Minh referred to Khai Dinh in his play "The Bamboo Dragon" hinting that the office of Emperor was all form and no substance. While this may have been true to a degree, it was certainly no fault of Khai Dinh and it was certainly not going to help the nation to stir up hatred against the traditional government.
One must also remember that Emperor Khai Dinh tried to get France to abandon coercian and seek Vietnamese cooperation in ruling Indochina. Being an ethical man himself, the Emperor believed that through peaceful talks and friendship Vietnam could obtain what Ham Nghi and Duy Tan could not by force. Unfortunately, colonial ambition drowned out the voice of humanity and France refused to relent in their control of Indochina. However, it cannot be said that Khai Dinh did not make an effort. Also, it was not in the Emperor's nature to resort quickly to violence in solving his problems. According to his son, Emperor Khai Dinh was a very devout Buddhist who visited the beautiful Thien Mau Tu Pagoda every day to meditate, pray for long life and make his offerings to the Buddha. Before going on any trip Khai Dinh would go to the Pagoda to ask for the protection of Heaven and Earth and the blessing of his sacred ancestors. The reign of Emperor Khai Dinh was a long period of peace and tranquility during which Vietnam was able to develop a stronger nationalist spirit and prepare to throw off their oppressors in the near future. Khai Dinh reigned until his death in 1925 when his son Prince Nguyen Vinh Thuy succeeded as the Son of Heaven. |
