CAO HẢI ĐỂ – NHÀ TRÍ THỨC DẤN THÂN TIÊU BIỂU CỦA NAM BỘ ĐẦU THẾ KỈ XX

Abstract

In the process of cultural and intellectual modernization in Vietnam during the early 20th century, Southern Vietnam emerged as one of the earliest regions to engage with the Western system of education, journalism, and knowledge production. Within this context, Cao Hải Để distinguished himself as a representative intellectual whose activities extended across multiple domains, including journalism, education, social research, and literary creation. This article examines the life, career, and intellectual contributions of Cao Hải Để through a selection of his representative works, including Triết học thường thức (Popular Philosophy, 1917), Thanh niên bửu giám (A Precious Mirror for the Youth, 1925), Tư tưởng xã hội (Social Ideology, 1933), Kinh tế khủng hoảng (Economic crisis, 1932), Công ích toàn thơ (Encyclopedia for public benefit), 1924), and Ơn nước nợ nhà (Gratitude to the Nation, debt to the Family, 1924). Based on an interdisciplinary approach encompassing cultural history, intellectual history, and journalistic research, this article demonstrates that Cao Hải Để was not only a journalist or educator but also a committed intellectual who made significant contributions to the modernization of Vietnamese thought, the development of Quoc ngu scholarship, and the formation of national consciousness in Southern Vietnam in the early 20th century.