1. Vietnam society in the early half of the 20^th century was full of upheavals.  From being a feudal and independent state, Vietnam became a semi-feudal colony. There existed two main social contradictions at that time:  between the Vietnamese, mainly peasants and the native feudal class; between the whole nation and French ruling invaders. In addition, the presence of traditional thought, national culture with the most prominent features like compassion, spirit of independence, self-control and community solidarity, held a decisive and direct role in all social relations. Simultaneously, the creative acceptance of quintessence from both Eastern culture and Western civilization was considered as a necessary factor for the development of national spiritual life. In the late 1920’s, in accordance with expansive influence of the Great October Socialistic Revolution, in Vietnam the propagation of Marxism-Leninism and Nguyen Ai Quoc’s thought in political field to struggle for national independence and socialist democracy had taken marvelous meaning in providing a change in quality as a “miraculous handbook” for Vietnamese revolution. It is necessary to mention that the Vietnamese have their distinctive personalities: practical attitude; respect for pragmatic and useful thing; adherence to moral standards of the true, the good and the beautiful; courageous, patient, self-reliant, intelligent, creative; appreciating knowledge, talentedness and righteousness, and philosophy. The most noble, holy virtue of the Vietnamese is the readiness to sacrifice themselves for the sake of their nation and people, in accordance with humane patriotism.

The mentioned characters were the very vital force and foundation for  the appearance and development of Vietnamese Philosophy in the early half of the 20^th century.

2. As mentioned above, the change of the real life had provided the change of the picture of national philosophy during the early half of the 20^th century. This change of Vietnamese philosophy should be divided into two periods: the Modernization movement (1905-1924), and the Marxist movement (1925-1945). In the first period, bourgeois democratic philosophy had modified a new appearance of national thought. In the second period, Marxist-Leninist philosophy was the flag, the core of national consciousness and revolution.  However, in both these periods, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and Catholicism still remained, and in certain period each of them had certain philosophical influence. It is obvious to see that on the one hand, the change was caused by material and cultural conditions of social reality; on the other hand, the acceptance of modern philosophical systems from the West and Japan, and the importation of Marxism-Leninism by Nguyen Ai Quoc. At the same time, the modification of philosophical thought took place “naturally-historically”, from bourgeois democracy changed into Marxist one. When Marxism-Leninism and Nguyen Ai Quoc’s thought were introduced and propagated into Vietnam, immediately they were accepted willingly by many patriotic associations and movements, and accepted as the most thorough and correct path to liberate the nation and slave people, to gain back national independence and freedom, as well as happiness for the people. Many national thinkers in the previous period became convinced by Communist thought and began their own ways to take part in popularizing Marxism-Leninism and Nguyen Ai Quoc’s thought. In history of national thought and philosophy, the integration of different tendencies of thoughts not only ensures the richness of common values of national consciousness, but also helps each tendency become more special with its own distinct and unique character in the general foundation of the whole nation and society.

3. In respect of the content, philosophical thought of Vietnam in the first half of the 20^th century seemed only concentrated on the issues of socio-philosophy or the one of nation, democracy, welfare of the people if considering from aspect of socio-politics. Naturally, because of different philosophical standpoints, different philosophical thoughts had resolved those issues from different, even opposite views.

- The Duy Tan (Modernist) and Dong Kinh Nghia Thuc movements with the famous ones as Phan Boi Chau, Huynh Thuc Khang, Ngo Duc Ke, Nguyen Thuong Hien, Tran Quy Cap… with their guideline of “encouraging people’s spirit – promoting people’s cultural standards – developing people’s welfare”. All the goals having national spirit and in accordance with tendency of the age had to depend on the foundation of bourgeois democratic philosophy, the evolutionism, theory of political reformation, theory of “Tam Dan” (three people’s principles) of Eastern and Western bourgeois philosophers, such as Voltaire, Denis Diderot, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Spencer, Kang Youwei, Liang Qi Shao, Sun Zhongshan… Although, those philosophers had given prominence to issues of freedom, equality, fraternity, social progress, democracy, humanity, but the modernist’s thought and philosophy had not had their own ideology yet, still lacked of class-consciousness, and a consistent, scientific, thorough philosophical foundation, and a revolutionary reality, which were only completed in communist movement and by the communists. On the other hand, the modernists’ standpoint, policies, and goals to save the people and nation were stuck in bourgeois philosophical view, which consisted of many shortcomings and even fatal diseases that were coming to be crisis. In addition, even through “riot” or “reform”, modernist philosophers hardly ever realized that the deep root of society is deeply in socio-economic question, and they were also dominated by colonialism and imperialism in Vietnam at that time.

- When Marxism had been being introduced into Vietnam, it was just the time of many severe contradictions: between the bourgeoisie and proletarian in capitalist countries, between capitalist and imperialist countries, and between dependent colonial nations and imperialism and colonialism. There were more and more serious ones both in depth and width, became the most severe contradiction of the age. Along with the movement of propagating Marxist-Leninist doctrines, there was another movement of Nguyen Ai Quoc’s thought as a creative application of Marxism-Leninism into revolutionary reality of Vietnam. Thus, it is possible to state that right at the beginning of 1920’s Marxism-Leninism was accepted decisively in Vietnam and their vitality expressed through skilful and dialectical combination of patriotism with international proletarianism, and national independence with socialism. This combination pursued not any aim except: national liberation, social (class) emancipation, human freedom, and building a peaceful, united, independent, democratic, and wealthy Vietnam, to contribute its certain part in the cause of the world revolution. The communist Party as well as Nguyen Ai Quoc’s thought belonged to Marxist-Leninist ideology, which was the highest value of human thought; it was either a “doctrine” with consistent, absolute, scientific, revolutionary theories, conceptions, opinions, which creatively developed and enriched Marxism-Leninism.

First of all, Nguyen Ai Quoc and other Vietnamese communists decisively defined that there were no other way except proletarian revolution to save the country and liberate the nation. Nguyen Ai Quoc was the first Vietnamese communist who contributed his great part in studying issues of colonialism, colonial regime and national liberation. He proposed a significant thought, which made a very enormous meaning for national revolution. This theory defined that the revolution in colonial countries, including Vietnam, could gain victory before the proletarian revolution in metropolitan countries, and in its turn, it again influenced and encouraged the metropolitan revolution; that Vietnamese revolution absolutely had enough capacities to carry out the struggle to liberate the nation, class and people by itself. At the same time, this doctrine had solved correctly, creatively the relationship between nation and class, between national independence, democracy and socialism. By comprehending the theory of communist revolution, Marxist-Leninist theories of class struggle, and understanding Vietnam’s concrete-historical condition, characters before the revolution, Nguyen Ai Quoc and Vietnam Communist Party had proposed creative theories of the revolutionary guideline for Vietnam. Finally, they won glorious victory and had worthy contribution to the treasure of Marxist-Leninist philosophy as well as to the advanced thought of the age. 

- In the first half of the 20^th century, Buddhist, Confucian and Taoist scriptures had been being handed down, but they were not worshiped as the same as under Dai Viet feudal regime. Many Vietnamese intellectuals, especially scholars of Western studies  evaluated and analyzed, even criticized the three traditional religions according to theories of “Patriotism”, Nationalism”, “Modernism” or “Democratism” (bourgeois democracy). In other words, at that time philosophical values of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism had depended on political change, social stratification and the appearance of new philosophical thoughts directly. When Catholic philosophy entered Vietnam, it had brought another kind of idealism imbued with western color. Without associating with the traditional spirit of the Vietnamese, some of the Western missioners had tried to preach the reasonableness of Western God’s teachings according to humankind’s spirit of humanity; highly appraised the civilizedness of capitalist and colonialist civilization, while disparaged and ignored national spirit and demolished communism. In fact, when introducing into Vietnam, Catholicism was accepted by certain number of people, basically in the poor regions  and low intellectual standard people. In general speaking, this new religion did not occupy noticeable position in spiritual life of the common society in that time.

- However, it is necessary to mention here some of the new spiritual tendencies in Vietnam in that time, which formally appeared on literary and political forums, such as those of the Western French News, Indochinese Journal, Nam Phong (Vietnamese Wind), Quoc Dan Dang (Nationalist Party), Tu Luc Van Doan (Self-Reliant Literature Association)…  In fact, all the socio-political thinkers of those tendencies did not have a distinctive, absolute philosophical foundation, in order to propagate or introduce themselves largely. Their theoretical viewpoints were often in disorder, triflingness, and lack of scientificness, or not absolute, especially they should not meet the practical needs of national revolution, and the reality of the nation. That was why they themselves gradually lost their voice either on public opinion or in common people.

4. There should be some general remarks on the situation of Vietnamese philosophical thought in the early half of the 20^th century, such as:

- According to general law of the forms of social conscious, the national philosophical thought was determined by socio-material conditions with concrete historicity, objectivity and necessity of Vietnam society in the first half of the 20^th century. The colonial, semi feudal economy was the real condition for all social changes; simultaneously, influences of political changes became direct factors of the development of contemporary philosophical thought. There was a correlation between the process of the operation of socio-material conditions, of national spiritual life with process of developing, propagating progressive, revolutionary philosophical thoughts. In the early years of the 20^th century, French colonialist exploitation was in their first step while modernist’s revolutionary movement was about the introduction of bourgeois democratic philosophy; then, from 1930’s on, Marxist philosophy developed and took advantage while the French colonialist and Japanese fascist influences more and more burdened upon the Vietnamese, in addition, the helpless, old philosophy and politics could not meet the new requirement of the nation.

- In this time, the acceptance of Eastern and Western philosophies had given philosophical clues for Vietnamese philosophers, and they became a factor to contribute to national philosophy. Many foreign factors introduced into Vietnam, but they only could exert their influences on the native philosophical thought if they could get the “permission” from Vietnamese revolutionary reality with a colonial demi-feudal country’s requirement, benefit and social aim for the national struggle to liberate itself. All “foreign” theories of bourgeois democracy or social reform were reformed by the Modernists then became the “our” or “national” ones which consisted of the nationalness (national independent, self-reliant), the socialness (democratic, progressive), the internationalness (anti-colonialism, appreciating humankind civilization). For example, “To advise each other to appreciate the value of fellow-citizen, and for the sake of the nation and the people”(1) as principle for thought and as the aim for action. In Nguyen Ai Quoc’s Report on the North, the Central and the South of  Vietnam written in 1924 to send to Communist International, he had learnt that “The class struggle in Eastern countries can not be as the same as in the Western” and the revolutionist’s mission was to “Rethink about Marxism and its historical foundation, to strengthen it by Eastern ethnology”(2). According to reality, Nguyen Ai Quoc and Vietnam Communist Party had creatively applied and developed Marxism-Leninism, and found the suitable way that met the requirement of national, social (class) and people liberation of Vietnam. These are examples to prove the principle of acceptance of other human cultures by national spirit which had long history of building and defending the country, and in that time these were promoted and re-created by the Marxists in Vietnam with new content and new requirement of the revolutionary reality.

- The development of Vietnamese philosophy in the first half of the 20^th century was a process of dialectical acculturation; in this process, the more progressive, more revolutionary tendency in philosophy replaced the “leading flag” of the former tendency of philosophy, in order to take its monopoly position in the field of national ideology. However, the mutation took place willingly, peacefully in accordance with the principle for the aim of national independence, social democracy and humankind culture.  The predominance of Marxism-Leninism – the most progressive philosophy, the peak of human thought – was applied and enriched creatively by Nguyen Ai Quoc and Vietnam Communist Party, that can be considered as a vivid and persuadable manifestation for the development of philosophical thought in Vietnam. It was a quality change of spiritual life of Vietnam society. On the other hand, those mentioned characters of “self-consciousness”, “integrativeness”, influentialness” and “acceptableness” were the outcome of the struggle between opposite philosophical viewpoints (of political, ideological ones). Among debates which criticized on national history, revolutionary policy, religious tenets, ancient philosophies, civilization, literature or art…, according to either “idealist” or “materialist” or “dualist” viewpoints, but finally “nationalism” and “revolutionalism” often took prominent position and had capacity to assemble the confidence of the majority in society. This is the process, in which Vietnamese philosophical thought step by step changed from “national”, “traditional national”, “bourgeois democratic” standpoints into “communist revolutionary, integration of patriotism with communist internationalism, and national independence with socialism” in accordance with Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh’s thought.

- Content of philosophy in this period concentrated in resolving problems of national independence and social democracy. These were urgent, fundamental problems which took decisive meaning for national destiny, required all theoretical operations to participate to resolve them. Through these contents, philosophical thoughts were tested and analyzed and defined their correctness, constructiveness, together with their scientific and practical values. In other words, national philosophical thought in that time had to concentrate on solving the following problems: one, inner factors which decided national destiny, interest and social development, such as: the development of intellectual standards of people, social civilization, reformation of civil rights, gain back national independence or their own ruling power, and socialism (?); two, social orientation, goal, ideal: self-control state, bourgeois democratic society, Western civilized society or socialist society (?); three, way to save the nation, the people, and socio-political strategy, social development policy: traditional thought and spirit of the three religions, religious believe, modernist movement, reformist propaganda, armed rebellion, national revolution or socialist revolution, communist one (?); four, motive power, force of national liberation, change, development of society: confucianists who kept abreast-of-the-time, progressive intellectual, patriotic people, individual hero or great united association of the entire people under the leadership of the Communist party (?); five, the Vietnamese’s virtue, appearance, destiny and the values at present and in future: “countryless people”, “enslaved people”, “the people of Vietnam”, “the Vietnamese”, “revolutionary people: … as the “frequent topics” which took the thinker’s special interest and were treated as the starting point and the goal of all socio-political viewpoints, and philosophical standpoints. The idea of “the Vietnamese” was also a measure of scientific and practical values of any philosophical or socio-political tendency. In reality, these five matters were not always mentioned separately, as specialties; they were always expressed in the synthetic form, in general philosophical conception of each tendency.

- In aspect of philosophy, patriotic and revolutionary thinkers in this period, either proceeded from idealism, or materialism, or may be dualism, and even pluralism. However, in reality, these tendencies of thought often mixed, infiltrated together and their boundary were not clear. Even in a certain tendency, or inside one thinker, there often happens change of world outlook (universal outlook), of methodology, philosophical conception, standpoint… if there are change and development of material condition and spiritual life of society. With the foundation of nationalism and patriotism, the abreast-of-the-time confucianists recognized the acceptableness of ancient Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism, either encouraged bourgeois democratic thought, Western civilization, as the same as appreciated the wholly virtue and courage hero of the Vietnamese. Many intellectuals originated from Confucianism and commune culture to come to revolutionary thought of the communist. It is obvious to learn that, in applying Marxism-Leninism into reality of Vietnam revolution, some time, some of its theoretical points were learnt dogmatically and voluntaristically(3).  In general, after the first half of the 20^th century, Marxist-Leninist philosophical thought was more and more accepted and applied into life and revolutionary reality in Vietnam, and became “miraculous handbook”, “magnetic needle”, “bright sun”, “flag” to gather the whole people’s power for the general cause of national liberation, and socialism, communism.

- From aspect of form of expression, Vietnamese philosophical thought in the first half of the 20^th century often appeared in the form of thought of culture, socio-politics, philosophy and literature, aesthetics (traditional forms of Oriental countries, including Vietnam). Such form brought the syntheticness which satisfied the need of various, pluralism, vivid broadcasts of revolutionary thought and also suited the working people’s intellectual capacity and knowledge level in acceptation and learning of new revolutionary thoughts. It is clear that, inside these forms were the foundation, the core, the nucleus of philosophy. Therefore, it is not a suitable approach to understand philosophical viewpoints in Vietnamese culture through “rational” or “logic” way as Western philosophy.  

Vietnamese philosophical thought in the first half of the 20^th century is a famous landmark on the new development of national philosophy. It is a “renewed step”, a sudden development from stage of national feudal age to modern philosophy – a necessary transitional step towards modern philosophy with Marxist-Leninist philosophy and Ho Chi Minh’s thought as orthodox and “guiding thread” for every revolutionary practical action of the Communist Party revolution and the Vietnamese people. r 

(Translated by Hoang Thi Tho)