Chapter 1
A short history
The History of the Christian brothers in VN begins in the middle of the XIX century. By the end of 1865, six French Brothers took in board in Toulon for Indochina . They landed in Saigon in Jan. 1866. Br. Jaime and his assistants received the direction of the College d’Adran on Jan.9th 1866, founded in 1861 by the priests of Foreign Missions of Paris. The house of Community, the classrooms and dormitories were just simple straw huts , low, humid. During the rainy season , water forms a sheet of 10-12 cm. In Summer , the temperature gets 30-40 degrees Celsius . To live in such conditions, so hard for Europeans, expose them to the risk of their life. However, with a magnificent durability, they put up with this poverty of domestic premises in favor of Vietnamese waiting for a more brilliant day.
Thirty years later, the Rev. priest John Baptist Tong ( being the 1st Vietnamese Bishop late), addressing to Bro .Néopol-de-Jesus, during his “diamond” Jubilee, on August 15th 1909, affirm the success as well as the heroic nature of these first Brothers :
“ You were among the six brave who went to , in 1866, land on this beach…you didn’t manage it…The time passed, towns appeared, schools were built, generations passed on their benches and those who were little near by you are today men living in all the surface of the country “ [1]
From Saigon, the renowned new teachers was widespread rapidly. Responding to the Call from the Clergy and the population, the brothers opened successively new schools in different regions in South Vietnam, in Cholon, My tho (in the South) in 1867, Vinh Long (in the South) 1869. The French authorities carried favor
the development by giving scholarships to the pupils, this helps the brothers live.
In 1873, a priest, Father Kerland, opened a charitable school in favor of neglected children whose a number of Eurasien . The school, run by the priests, named after Taberd.
In 1889, 9 brothers took in board from Marseille and arrived in Saigon after a 28-day trip. The school Taberd handed them over in 1890 with 160 children whose the half was boarders. The next year, the number of pupils increased. Five brothers were called to come as reinforcements and opened a free section inside the domain of Taberd. In 1897, a second free section was opened at Taberd. Based on the past contract with the Mission, the Brothers were taken in charge by it.
In 1898, another charitable school was opened at Thu duc, next to the house of Formation of future brothers,12 km far from Saigon. This was also an appliance School for future teachers. In 1900, located 3 km far from Saigon , a school built with bamboo and palm trees was installed in the middle of a luxurious coconut trees garden, for educating the deaf-mute children. The children attended the course of carpentry, wooden sculpture, shoe –repairing , calculation , and writing as well. Another work for the deaf- mute, inaugurated at Lai Thieu , was transferred then to Tan Dinh (Saigon), and the brothers were in charge to maintain it in August 1902. Br. Visitor proposed to organize there a professional teaching, too.
In spite of lacking in all help from the French administration, the work of the Brothers developed quickly: 1904, school Pellerin ( Hue, center VN), 1906, school Saint-Joseph ( Hai Phong, North VN)
1906: school Battambang ( Cambodia ) , 1908 : school Saint-Joseph (My Tho, South ) ; 1911, school Miche ( Cambodia ) ; 1924 : school Saint- Thomas Aquino ( Nam Dinh, North ); 1933 : Houses of Formation ( Nha trang, Center VN ); 1941 : school d’ Adran ( Dalat, Center ) : 1956 : Lasan-Kim Phuoc (Kontum, Center) ; 1957 : Lasan Binh Loi ( Qui Nhon, Center ) ; 1958 : Lasan Ban Mê Thuôt ( South of Center, High lands )
During 109 years of Presence of Lasallians in Vn, from 1866-1975 ,the brothers followed the policy of promoting the young Vietnamese and serving the country without taking part to the Politics. The schools of the brothers were renowned from school- discipline as well as from human formation. Several of their children had an important position in the governmental and ecclesiastical Authorities such as : Ngo Dinh Diem , the first President in South VN , Bishop Nguyen Van Binh, old archbishop of Saigon .
Several others became politicians belonging to the Opposition side such as : the priest Nguyen thoi Hoa, pro-communist , Mr. Ngo Cong Duc, deputy of the Ancien Regime but pro-communist; Doctor Ho Van Minh, deputy of the ancient regime and pro-communist; Doctor Nguyen Huy Diem , an Old student, member of the Movement ” Liberation of the South VN” having then the communist decorations; Mr. Chu Pham Ngoc Son, Prof. of Chemistry, university of Saigon, also procommunist. In fact, They were known as communists only after the down fall of Saigon. The list may be longer and surely there are many others, who attended the Lasallian schools in the North of VN before 1954, those who dare not declare or recognize as old children of catholic schools in general, or of the brothers in particular, to protect themselves or to preserve their position . In any way, whatever communist or not, inside the country or abroad, a large number of former Lasallian children had still kept good souvenirs and acknowledged that, thanks to the Brothers’ education , they could become what they are today.
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[1] Georges Rigault, Histoire générale de l'Institut des Frères des Écoles Chrétiennes, Paris, Plon, 1937, Tome VI, p.418.