The Vietnamese anti-colonial or national salvation movement was initiated secretly in Thailand in the early 20th century and continued until the second half of the century. Having both land and sea connection, Thailand was strategically suitable to serve as a base for the movement. Most studies report a great number of Vietnamese people involving in it, but rarely mention any Vietnamese Buddhist monks. My current research explores the participation of these monks in the movement in the mid-20th century. Based on the indication of some documents saying that there were approximately six monks, my attempt is to identify them Who are they? Documents in Thai, English, Vietnamese and French were reviewed as well as interviewing selected Thai people, Thai of Vietnamese origin, and Buddhist monks in Vietnamese temples in Thailand. Old Thai documents in the Thai National Archives and some document at the Buddhist temples were consulted. Some temples were explored.

One silent topic found is the role of Vietnamese monks in dealing, purchasing and smuggling arms. Thai Buddhists are difficult to recognize their operation as it was beyond their expectation, and for fear that such political involvement would weaken Thai people’s faith toward the Buddhism. Today, this issue is considered a positive factor in the bilateral relations between Thailand and Vietnam. It is undeniable that during the difficult period in the mid-20th century, Thai governments not only sympathized with Vietnam’s national salvation movement, but also facilitated some of its operations.

The research is trying to find out how the Vietnamese monks were involved in the Vietnamese Anti-Colonial Movement conducted in Thailand. How did they contribute to the movement? What were their activities in the movement? Who are these monks?
I would like to further deepen the research on this topic.

This topic is a part of the history of the Vietnamese anti-colonial or revolutionary movement, a good relationship between Thailand-Vietnam, the Overseas Vietnamese (Viet Kieu) or the Vietnamese immigrants in Thailand. Moreover, it is related to and Vietnamese/ Annamnikai monks in Thailand in particular.

While in Kyoto, I intend to contribute to a new publication and disseminate it in digital type via KU repository. It is also expected the work to be published in hard copy form in Thailand.

My current research on The Vietnamese Buddhist Monks in the Vietnamese Anti-Colonial Movement in Thailand during the Mid-20th Century are related to my previous research topics, such as:

The Arrival of the Vietnamese, Annamnikaya Buddhism and the Formation of Samananam Borihan Temple in Thailand in the Early-Rattanakosin Period.
(ベトナム人と安南派仏教（アンナムニカーイ）の来泰、およびラッタナコーシン王朝初期におけるワット・サマナーナムボーリハーンの建立, タンヤーティップ・シーパナー
タイ語和訳 西田 昌之)

Chinese Cultural Connections seen through Wat Samananam Borihan, an Annamnikai temple in Bangkok.

Thailand and Vietnamese Patriotic Movement in the Mid-20th Century;

Ho Chi Minh in Thailand: The Struggle for Vietnamese National Independence;

The Viet Kieu in Thailand in Thai-Vietnamese Relationship.

Ngô Thị Huệ and her Reminiscence of Thailand in the Mid of 1940’s (supported by Royal Thai Consulate-General in Ho Chi Minh City, accomplished on December 31, 2016,
(Ngô Thị Huệ is Nguyễn Văn Linh’s spouse) (Nguyễn Văn Linh was Secretary General of the Communist Party of Vietnam from 1986 to 1991, and advocate of Doi Moi policy)
This research is related to the Vietnamese anti-colonial or national salvation movement which operated in Thailand, and to the Viet Kieu in Thailand.

Other research works include :

New Thinking of Vietnam’s Foreign Policy (supported by Asian Scholarship Foundation-Ford Foundation, 1999-2000).

Thai-Vietnamese Relationship after Vietnamese Economic Reform (supported by Thailand Research Fund, accomplished in 2000).

Gender Diversity in Changing Vietnam (CSEAS Fellowship for Visiting Research Scholars, Kyoto University, February 16-May 15, 2019)

Gender Diversity in Socialist Viet Nam and Unification of Human Rights in ASEAN (supported by Chulalongkorn University, accomplished on August 31, 2017)

China’s Influence on Vietnam through Vietnam-China Border Trade (supported by Chulalongkorn University, accomplished in 2015)

The Study on the Route No. 8 in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (supported by Thailand Research Fund, accomplished in 2009)

Tourism in the South of Vietnam through Southern Economic Corridor (supported by Thailand Research Fund, accomplished in 2008)

Forging Thailand-Vietnam Cooperation in Developing Tourism on Route No. 9 and its Adjacent Areas (supported by the office of the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), accomplished in 2007)

Investment of Newly-Industralized Countries and Japan in Vietnam (1994-1996).

Thai Investment in Vietnam (1991-1993).

Thailand-Vietnam Trade (1989-1990).

And others.