Third Prize Winner Phan Thuc Truc

(Baonghean) - Phan Thuc Truc (1808 - 1852), also known as Phan Duong Hao, Phan Su Manh, pen name Hanh Quy, Cam Dinh, Duong Hao Hien, was from Van Tu village, Dong Thanh district, now Khanh Thanh commune, Yen Thanh district.

Third place winner Phan Thuc Truc.

He was born into a Confucian family - a family with many generations of Huong Cong, Sinh Do and mandarins under the Le dynasty. His father, Phan Vu, passed the first three Bachelor exams of the Nguyen - Gia Long dynasty, and was called Tu Men. Phan Thuc Truc was directly taught and trained by his father, and was naturally diligent and studious, so from a young age he was famous as a "Child Prodigy" of Nghe An. He read many books and was well-versed in the classics and history, was famous for his good writing, passed the Dau Xu exam (at the age of 16) and many Bachelor exams, so he was honored by the Van Hoi of Dong Thanh district with a pair of parallel sentences:

"One move to become famous in the world;

Ten sciences in a row hit the world without end.

Mean:

"Once passed the Bachelor's exam, there was such a person in the world;

"Ten exams passed, no one in the world has ever passed."

He was selected by the court to study at the Imperial Academy to take the Royal Examination. In the year of Dinh Mui - Thieu Tri 7 (1847), he passed the examination with the title of First Class, Third Class (Dinh Nguyen, Tham Hoa). On the day he returned home to pay his respects to his ancestors, the king bestowed upon him the title "Khoi Da Sy" (meaning: The person who passed the examination with the highest honor above many Confucian scholars).

His life is a shining example not only in terms of studying, passing exams and becoming famous, but also in his patriotism, love for the people, and dedication to work. He always cared about education, taught in many places, and took care of the spiritual development of the younger generation. After passing the exam, he returned to his hometown to direct the dredging and construction of Cam Giang dam to get water for irrigation of the fields, develop agriculture, and help people stabilize their lives. Therefore, after his death, the locals built a temple to worship him as a god of fortune. He was praised by many people for his education and virtue. The book Dai Nam Chinh Bien Liet Truyen wrote about him:

“Phan Thuc Truc was from Yen Thanh, Nghe An, his ancestors passed the Huong Tri exam in the Le Dynasty for four or five generations. His father, Vu, met the end of Le Dynasty and studied in seclusion. Then, at the beginning of Gia Long reign, he went to school many times to teach, he recited the classics and history by heart every day, and was respected as a learned person. Thuc Truc studied at home with his father, was intelligent, had a broad knowledge, and was famous for his knowledge. After a long time, he was always defeated in the Huong exam by the mandarins. Truc then took the position of Tu Tai and was a tribute student and studied at the Quoc Tu Giam School. In the 7th year of Thieu Tri (1847), he passed the First Class Doctorate, third place, and was appointed to the Han Lam Academy. In the first year of Tu Duc (1848), he was appointed to the Cabinet, then promoted to Tap Hien Vien Thi Doc, supplemented by Kinh Dien Khoi Cu Chu. He obeyed the order to write poetry and literature, and was always praised by the king. In the 4th year (1851), he obeyed the imperial edict to go to Bac Ky to search for remaining ancient books. The following year, when he returned to Thanh Hoa, he fell ill and died, and was posthumously awarded the title of Thi Giang Hoc Si.

Before that, the place where Thuc Truc hamlet lived had a strip of the Cam Giang River, which flooded every year, causing many fields to become swampy, overgrown with grass, and uncultivable. Thuc Truc, after returning from his studies, helped the people dig piles and build dams. From then on, water was stored and drained conveniently, which benefited the people. After his death, the people in the hamlet remembered his gratitude and built a temple to worship him… His first name was Duong Hao, then he took the courtesy name Hanh Quy. His son was Vinh, who passed the Bachelor's exam; Dinh, a Bachelor.

He died early at the age of 43, but left behind for posterity valuable writings: Cam Dinh literary collection; Cam Dinh poetry collection; Cam Dinh poetry collection; Tran Le foreign story; National history di bien...".

He was a book lover, always reading books since childhood and was well-versed in the Four Books, Five Classics, and History. He also had the talent to improvise poems and prose, and was praised and rewarded by the king many times. He was loved by the king, always by his side to help him with the work of Kinh dien khoi co chu, in the Privy Council. Before that, he had held positions related to books, education, and document compilation: Han lam vien truc tac, pham Thua chi, Nhap noi cac, Tap hien vien. Perhaps because he was so passionate and well-versed in history, King Tu Duc sent him and Nguyen Do Tich to collect documents in the Bac Ha provinces for the court. Phan Thuc Truc was truly worthy of the compliment that the Tham tri Truong Quoc Dung gave him: "A plum branch above a hundred flowers" (Bach hoa dau thuong nhat chi mai).

Dao Tam Tinh