Gustave Huế

On Tue, Mar 6, 2018 at 6:24 PM, John Phan <jdp49@cornell.edu> wrote:

Dear VSG,

Does anyone have any biographical information about the Reverend Gustave Huế (author of a Vietnamese-French-Chinese dictionary)? I know that he was a priest of the Societe des Missions etrangers, and apparently he was born in Bernières-sur-Mer in NW France. What I am wondering is whether he was part or entirely Vietnamese, given his name. He certainly defends the Vietnamese language with eloquence.

Any help is very much appreciated.

Sincerely, John

--

John D. Phan, Ph.D.

Assistant Professor

Department of East Asian Languages & Cultures

Columbia University

New York, New York 10027

For quicker replies, please contact me at: john.phan@columbia.edu

From: Vsg [mailto:vsg-bounces@mailman11.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Nhu Miller

Sent: Tuesday, March 06, 2018 6:57 PM

To: John Phan <jdp49@cornell.edu>

Cc: Vietnam Studies Group <vsg@u.washington.edu>

Subject: Re: [Vsg] Gustave Huế

Selon "Repetoires des Membres de la Societe des Missions Etrangeres"

(edite par Gerard Moussay & Brigitte Appavou) Paris 2004:

Gustave Hue (1870-1950) ne le 12 Decembre 1870a Bernieres-sur-Mer (Calvados) admis au Seminaire des Missions Etrangeres en 1894, ordonne pretre le 30 Juin 1895, partit pour la mission du Tonkin le 18 December 1895. Apres l'etude de la langue, il fut envoye a Yen Bai puis a Yen Tap et Du Bo, et en 1898 fut charge de la paroisse de No Luc. En 1902, il ouvrit un centre de catechumenat (sic) a Phu Nghia pour accuellir des familles Muong de Bau No et de Duc Phong, qui demandaient a se convertir. En Juillet 1938, il quitta Phu Nghia pour s'installer a Tong Thai, chretiente proche du mont Ba Vi, puis n 1939, alla si'installer a Giap Thuong. Il mourut a Ha noi le 7 Mai 1946. Il est l'auteur d'un dictionnaire Annamite-Chinois-Francasi, publie en 1937.

John, Gustave Hue is French and not metis. There are two HUE who were also missionaries: Francois & Jean. It's unlikely that a metis would have been allowed to be a missionary during the era. Nowadays though there are practically no French or European missionaries preparing at Rue du Bac. They are mostly Chinese and Indian.

T.T. Nhu

Berkeley, California