Phan Boi Chau was a Confucian scholar and was a nationalist. His contribution to Vietnamese liberation are as follows: (i) He formed the “Revolutionary Society” in 1903 with Prince Coorg De as head. (ii) His most famous book, ‘The History of the Loss of Vietnam’ was written under the influence and advice of Liang Qichao, a Chinese reformer. (iii) It became a best seller in Vietnam and China, and was even made into a play. (iv) The book focuses on two connected themes: (i) the loss of sovereignty (ii) the severing of ties with China.