There are buildings that are not just a place, but also carry within them a historical flow, a spirit of loyalty, and a deep mark in Vietnamese education. Duc Thanh School is one of them - a place where every brick and roof tile carries within it a story about the spirit of enlightenment, about historical figures who have great aspirations in their hearts.
Join MLifeOn in the journey to discover this special school through the article below.
History of formation and development
Located in Phan Thiet city, Duc Thanh School is not only an ordinary school but also a witness to history, a place that contains the stories of many great figures, especially President Ho Chi Minh.
When I walked through the school gate, I immediately felt a quiet but sacred atmosphere. The ancient wooden walls seemed to be whispering to me about a period of enlightened education, about the lectures that once resounded from these simple classrooms.
The school has the ancient appearance of time and past history.
Duc Thanh School was founded in 1907 by a group of scholars from the Duy Tan movement such as Nguyen Quy Anh and Nguyen Trong Loi - the son of poet Nguyen Thong. With the desire to open a progressive educational environment, helping young people approach innovative thinking, Duc Thanh School played the role of a space to inspire the spirit of learning and the desire to develop the country in a period of tumultuous transformation.
Duc Thanh School operated from 1907 to 1912, was one of the most advanced private educational institutions at that time in Binh Thuan. The curriculum included Quoc Ngu, Han Van, French and physical education, with a team of dedicated teachers and about 50-60 students.
The learning space here once resounded with lectures on progressive ideas, knowledge and ethics, contributing to building generations of young people with noble ideals, knowing how to worry about the fate of the nation. Therefore, this school not only has educational value but also bears the mark of cultural heritage associated with important moments in Vietnamese history.
Historical milestones
Passing through each classroom, seeing where generations of students from the past attentively listened to lectures, I felt the persistence of time, as if this place still kept the warmth of the old days.
Duc Thanh School was founded in 1907 under the leadership of patriotic intellectuals of the Duy Tan movement, marking a new step forward for progressive education in Vietnam at that time. In 1910, this small school was honored to welcome the footsteps of Nguyen Tat Thanh - who later became President Ho Chi Minh - when he stopped in Phan Thiet, directly teaching and imparting knowledge to his students, at the same time sowing the seeds of timely revolutionary ideas. After more than a century, Duc Thanh School today has become a special historical relic, a place to preserve the sacred imprints of national education and indomitable patriotism.
I wonder: When he was still a teacher, Nguyen Tat Thanh, what did Uncle Ho teach, what thoughts did he pass on to his generation of students? And when more than a hundred years have passed, he has passed away, but the school still stands there, as a reminder of the spirit of dedication to education and the desire for innovation.
Touching the traces of time
Entering Duc Thanh School, visitors seem to be taken back to a century ago, with simple but warm architecture. The school still retains its ancient beauty with rows of wooden classrooms, moss-covered tiled roofs and a yard shaded by green trees.
The school space is preserved intact, with objects that were used in the teaching process, from tables and chairs, writing boards to souvenirs associated with the old classrooms. Not only are they inanimate objects, each object here is also a historical witness, helping to preserve the spirit of liberal education, which was a source of inspiration for previous generations.
The campus is full of trees, giving a peaceful feeling.
The stop that made me most speechless was probably the room where Uncle Ho used to teach. Standing there, I suddenly imagined the scene of a small classroom, where a young teacher devoted all his heart to sowing the seeds of thinking.
Besides the classrooms, the school campus also has other relics such as wells and ancient churches, all blending together, creating a quiet but historical space, so that every step of visitors when coming here can feel the extremely sacred value.
Finding the historical school
Stopping at Duc Thanh School, we not only admire a relic but also feel the heroism of an aspirational period. Among the simple wooden walls, each person seems to listen to the stories of intellectuals who once taught here, spreading the flame of patriotism and the spirit of continuous learning.
Looking at the old classrooms, the rows of wooden benches that have witnessed many generations of students, we suddenly appreciate the value of education more. This is not only a tourist destination, but also a place to reflect, to understand that Vietnamese education has had to go through many challenges to be able to rise as strong as today.
If you love traveling, want to learn about history and cultural works with profound meaning, Duc Thanh School is definitely a destination not to be missed.
—---
CREDIT:
- Photography: Kien Trang
- Content: Giang Huynh
- Design: Phuong Nguyen