Question

Who wrote the book "The History of the loss of Vietnam"?
(A)Phan Boi Chau
(B)Ho Chi Minh
(C)Huynh Phu So
(D)Phan Chu Trinh

Answer 1

Hint: The author of "The History of the Loss of Vietnam" was a pioneer of Vietnamese nationalism in the twentieth century. In 1903, he founded the "Reformer," a revolutionary organisation. Liang Qichao, a leading Chinese nationalist revolutionary scholar in Japan at the time, published this book.

Complete answer:
The book "The History of the Defeat of Vietnam" was written by Phan Boi Chau. Chau, a Vietnamese anti-colonial nationalist, wrote the book in Chinese in 1905. The book made "Vietnam" a household word. The nation was known as "Annam" at the time.

The book was published at least five times in China, with the first two editions appearing in Liang's periodical magazine Hsin-min ts'ung-pao. A foreword by Liang was included with the novel, which drew parallels between the situations facing Vietnam and China in terms of international dominance.

The most well-known of Phan's works are Viet Nam Vong Quoc Su (History of Vietnam's Loss) ,Tan Viet Nam (New Vietnam), both of which were written in Chinese and then translated into Vietnamese before being smuggled into Vietnam. These works, especially Viet Nam Vong Quoc Su, were instrumental in invigorating the country's nationalist fervour.

Hence the correct option is (A) Phan Boi Chau.

Note: The book “The History of the loss of Vietnam” was written in a style that was different from the scholar gentry's prevalent writing technique and structure at the time. Chau, particularly in his analytical and argumentative pieces, eschewed this conventional style in favour of writing in a direct, ordinary prose style.