Issuing a set of stamps for Acting President Huynh Thuc Khang
On the morning of September 30, the stamp set "Celebrating the 150th birthday of Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang (1876 - 2026)" was launched at the Da Nang City Administrative Center. The event is part of the national scientific conference program "Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang - A noble example of a great patriotic intellectual who devoted his life to the Fatherland and the people", jointly organized by the Ho Chi Minh National Academy of Politics, the Central Propaganda Department, the Vietnam Academy of Social Sciences and the Da Nang City Party Committee.
The publication set was designed by two artists Nguyen Thi Huong Giang and Phung Thuy Tien of Vietnam Post Corporation - Vietnam Post, including a stamp sample size 43 x 32 mm, face value 4,000 VND, accompanied by a first day envelope (FDC) size 190 x 110 mm.
The stamp sample uses a close-up portrait of Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang in a traditional ao dai and turban. With a concise graphic style, the design demonstrates the poise and integrity of a committed scholar.
"The postage stamp is compact in size but acts as a visual cultural message, bringing the personality model and historical value of Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang to a wide audience both domestically and internationally," Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Pham Duc Long shared at the announcement ceremony.
After the ceremony of peeling off the fabric covering the stamp sample and signing the release cover, the commemorative magnified stamp painting was presented to a representative of the Da Nang City government.
Assessing Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang's legacy, Head of the Central Propaganda Department Trinh Van Quyet affirmed that his life is a shining example of the motto "study for the people, write for the people, endure imprisonment and shoulder the country's affairs for the people". He believes that his spirit of "not seeking fame, not profit" is a current lesson for officials and intellectuals to self-reflect and contribute to the country.
Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang was born in 1876 in Thanh Binh commune, Da Nang city. He passed the Huong exam in 1900, the Hoi exam in 1904 and passed his PhD in the same year. Not pursuing the path of becoming a mandarin, he along with intellectuals Phan Chau Trinh and Tran Quy Cap initiated the Duy Tan movement in 1905 with the policy of "opening up the people's knowledge, shaking up the people's energy, and following the people's livelihood".
In 1908, after the anti-tax movement in the Central region, he was exiled to Con Dao by the colonial government for more than 13 years. During his time in detention, the patriotic prisoner taught himself French through dictionaries, composed poetry and later compiled it into the work Prisoner's Voice.
Returning to the mainland in 1921, he participated in parliamentary activities and held the position of Director of the Central People's Congress in 1926, to fight for practical rights for the people. In 1928, he resigned because the agency lacked real power. In 1927, he founded Tieng Dan newspaper in Hue - the first national language newspaper in Central Vietnam - and ran the publication for 16 years.
After the August Revolution of 1945, at the invitation of President Ho Chi Minh, he joined the Union Government as Minister of the Interior. On May 31, 1946, he assumed the position of Acting President for 143 days when President Ho Chi Minh went to France for diplomatic purposes.
In early 1947, Mr. Huynh Thuc Khang continued to serve as the Government's Special Envoy to visit the Central region to mobilize the people for resistance. On April 21, 1947, he passed away while on duty in Quang Ngai province after a period of illness, at the age of 71.
Nguyen Dong