A Vietnamese Royal Exile in Japan: Prince Cường Để (1882–1951)

Description

Prince Cường Để, viewed by the French as a pretender to the Vietnamese throne, was an important and interesting figure in the history of Vietnam’s struggle for independence. He was highly regarded by many non-communist Vietnamese nationalists, but has been virtually ‘written out’ of Vietnamese history. Based on extensive original research, including interviews and important documents from the French national archives, this book traces the life of Cường Để as a royal exile in Japan, exploring his links to key Japanese leaders and how he campaigned for his cause and was supported in Japan, Vietnam and elsewhere. The author shows how Cường Để had great hopes that imperial Japan would advance the cause of Vietnamese independence from France, especially during the Japanese occupation of Vietnam in 1941-5. But these hopes were disappointed as Japan's Indochina policy gave primacy to Japan's own economic and strategic self-interest. This book provides many fascinating insights into the development of Vietnamese nationalism and the long, harsh struggle for independence, from the perspective of an interesting and undeservedly neglected figure. Cover Title Page Copyright Page Dedication Table of Contents List of illustrations Frontispiece: map of Vietnam Preface Acknowledgements Abbreviations Introduction 1 Cu'ò'ng Đe’s ancestry: the imperial Nguyen dynasty and French colonialism 2 The revolutionary path: destined for Japan, 1896–1905 3 Japanese and French politics and Vietnamese nationalists’ experiences in Japan, 1905–10 4 Overseas wandering: in search of alternative alliances, 1910–15 5 Exile in Japan: hope and despair, 1915–25 6 Cu'ò'ng Đe and the new political environment, 1925–32 7 The making of a ‘second P’u-Yi of Annam’: Cu'ò'ng Đe and the new order in east Asia, 1933–40 8 The Japanese occupation and independence for Vietnam: an opportunity for Cu'ò'ng Đe and his nationalist supporters, 1941–5 9 An imperfect alliance and its consequences: misfortune and fortune in Vietnamese politics, 1945–6 10 The final stage of a royal exile, 1946–51 Conclusion: the posthumous return of an exiled prince, Nguyen di thi Nguyen lai ve Appendix Notes Bibliography Index