Cao Xuân Dục (Hán tự: 高春育 1843–1923) was a scholar, historian-mandarin, and court adviser in the Nguyễn Dynasty, Vietnam.
Cao Xuân Dục was born in Thịnh Mỹ, Diễn Châu, Nghệ An. In 1876, he entered Vietnamese Imperial examination and was awarded the degree of provincial graduate (舉人 - Jǔrén), in same class with the famous anti-French patriot Phan Đình Phùng from Hà Tĩnh.
He served under Nguyễn Emperors Đồng Khánh and Thành Thái and held several important government posts including Governor-General of Hưng Yên (1889) and minister of education (1907). He was one of the four top advisers to the Emperor during the Vietnam-France conflict in early 20th century.
When Hoàng Cao Khải, a notorious pro-French collaborator, coerced his colleagues to sign a petition to Thành Thái to promote Khải to viceroy, Dục refused to sign - instead he wrote a quick poem on the petition.
| 天無二日 國無兩王 臣高春育 不可旡 |
the sky cannot have two suns a nation cannot have two kings your servant Cao Xuân Dục cannot sign |
He was later vilified by Khải's group and demoted to a lowly local post in Hoàng Xá outside of Hanoi. A relief of Cao Xuân Dục was sculptured on a wall in a cave in this local region to commemorate his righteousness.[1]
Cao Xuân Dục retired in 1913 to concentrate on building his library, Long Cương Bảo Tàng Thư Viện (named after his pseudonym), collecting and maintaining Vietnamese literature.
A street in Ho Chi Minh city was named after Cao Xuân Dục[2]
Cao Xuân Dục made significant contribution in maintaining Vietnamese culture and literature in 19th and 20th century.[3] He spent many years writing, collecting, copying, re-writing and preserving valuable books including: