VietnamPlus, 05/06/2026
The fact that the leader of Nguyen Ai Quoc had contacts with the Masons in France and participated in them reflects his spirit of science, openness and willingness to find solutions to the fates of his country.
On a journey of over 30 years in search of a way to save the country, Nguyen leader Ai Quoc, later president Ho Chi Minh , constantly researched and tested many different theories, ideologies and organizational models.
In the form of his reasoning Political and knowing of the way to national liberation were influenced by Vietnamese patriots in France, global labour movement, French Socialist Party, French Communist organization and progressive intellectual organizations of that time.
During the search, Nguyen leader Ai Quoc besides made contact with the Masonry (Franc-maçonnerie) in France and joined it.
The archive records indicate that he joined the organization in 1922. Although this was not the way the leader of Nguyen Ai Quoc chose to accomplish his goal of national liberation, the event is nevertheless a milestone reflecting his spirit of science, openness and desire to find solutions to the destiny of the nation in the early 20th century.
Masoneria was officially founded in England in 1717, but derives from professional associations that were formed hundreds of years earlier in Scotland. It gradually evolved into 1 of the most influential social organizations in modern Western history.
With the Enlightenment Movement in the 18th century, the Masons became the gathering places of intellectuals, scholars, researchers , lawyers, journalists, businessmen, soldiers and social activists.
Throughout the world, masonry has attracted many celebrated characters. In the United States, the first president George Washington and scientist and diplomat Benjamin Franklin lived, both contributing to the foundation of modern America.
In Europe there were philosophers specified as Voltaire and Monteskiusz, General Gilbert du Motier de Lafayette – who participated in both the American and French Revolutions – poet Pouskin, author Goethe and superb composer Mozart. Many researchers, researchers and politicians have found a community of communication, discussion of social problems and promotion of progressive reforms in free-mulcer clubs.
For more than 2 centuries, this organization has been closely linked to many crucial changes in French society – from the Enlightenment and the French Revolution to the emergence of the Republic and contemporary debates on education, citizenship and the function of a secular state.
Many influential politicians of the Republic were besides members of the Masonry, specified as Léon Gambetta, Jules Ferry, Émile Combes and Aristide Briand. They have contributed to the improvement of secular education, the extension of civilian rights and the strengthening of Republican institutions. For a long time, Masonic clubs were considered 1 of the most crucial forums of French intellectual and political life.
In an interview with a VNA reporter in France, Yonnel Ghernaouti, a book critic specialising in masonry, erstwhile editor-in-chief of the net paper 450FM and a associate of the board of the French Institute for investigation on Freedom, said that masonry is not a political party, but, above all, an environment that combines people sharing the ideals of brotherhood, common support, a desire to self-improve and engage in the improvement of society.
He stated that the values that put emphasis on masonry were freedom, equality, brotherhood, respect for human dignity, secularity and freedom of thought.
This organisation places peculiar emphasis on the right of each individual to think independently, to freely choose his own beliefs and opinions and to respect others' differences.
For colonial peoples in the early 20th century, free-mulcer clubs had another meaning. These were places where many colonial intellectuals first had the chance to straight deal with ideas about human rights, national self-determination, equality with the law and the function of citizens in political life.
Many Vietnamese – from journalists, lawyers and doctors to politicians and political activists (such as King Duy Tan, Nguyen Van Vinh, Hoang Minh Giam, Pham Ngoc Thach...) – sought free-mulcer clubs in France and Indochina where they could engage with intellectuals from all over the planet and learn about the progressive intellectual trends of their time.
According to Yonnel, the beginning of the 20th century was besides a time erstwhile the influences of masonry in France reached the apogee. In this context, it is completely understandable that a young man from a colonial environment, specified as the leader of Nguyen Ai Quoc, sought this environment. It was not only a place of listening and learning, but besides a place where he could present his thoughts on freedom, justice and the future of his nation.
According to culture investigator Tran Thu Dung, who discovered papers related to the leader of Nguyen Ai Quoc in the GODF archives more than 30 years ago, working on her doctoral dissertation in France, his participation in free culture should be considered in the context of his full journey to find a way to save the country alternatively than as an independent event.
In the early 20th century Vietnam was...
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