In the both stages, in addition to patriotic organizations, which persisted in carrying out armed struggles by the previous way to sweep all the invaders out of Vietnam, there were some preeminent people (including also those who followed the way to use armed struggles to save the country) realizing clearly the necessity of learning experience from overseas countries, especially new achievements of the Western cultures and civilizations, in order to innovate the country and improve the national power in the hope of protecting Vietnam from aggression or regaining national independence from the French invasion. This article analyzes the thoughts and activities of those typical people. | HISTORY – ARCHEOLOGY – ETHNOLOGY Pham Xuan Nam First Attempts to Make Cultural Exposure, Exchange, Dialogue between Vietnamese and Western (From the second half of the 19th century to the eve of the First World War) Pham Xuan Nam * Abstract: In Vietnam’s history, the period from the second half of the 19th century to the eve of the First World War, can be divided into two stages: The first one lasted from 1858 to 1896, when the French colonialists step by step took over the whole Vietnam and then carried out “pacification” to strengthen their ruling yoke. The second one lasted from 1897 to 1913, when the French colonial government started its large-scale exploitation to pillage properties of Vietnam, aiming at enslaving Vietnamese people forever. In the both stages, in addition to patriotic organizations, which persisted in carrying out armed struggles by the previous way to sweep all the invaders out of Vietnam, there were some preeminent people (including also those who followed the way to use armed struggles to save the country) realizing clearly the necessity of learning experience from overseas countries, especially new achievements of the Western cultures and civilizations, in order to innovate the country and improve the national power in the hope of protecting Vietnam from aggression or regaining national independence from the French invasion. This article analyzes the thoughts and activities of those typical people. Key words: Exposure; exchange; dialogue; culture; Vietnam; Western. 1. The thought and activities of renovation by Dang Huy Tru During the time under the French colonial domination, many ideas on carrying out a reform to strengthen the national power were recommended to the King Tu Duc (Tự Đức) by preeminent Confucian scholars such as Pham Phu Thu (Phạm Phú Thứ), Dang Huy Tru (Đặng Huy Trứ), Nguyen Truong To (Nguyễn Trường Tộ), Bui Vien (Bùi Viện) and Nguyen Lo Trach (Nguyễn Lộ Trạch), etc. Talking about this, in “Việt Nam Quốc sử khảo” .
