Vinh Ky [Petrus Ky] Truong

Trương Vĩnh Ký (張永記), also known as Pétrus Ky or Jean-Baptiste Pétrus (6 Dec 1837, Vĩnh Long Province ‑1 Sep 1898, Saigon, now in Vietnam) was a Vietnamese linguist, teacher and translator whose publications helped improve understanding between colonial Vietnam and Europe.

After his father’s death when he was 9, he grew up among French Catholic missionaries. He studied Latin and modern idioms under the guidance of Pere Pallegoix during three years at the Pinhalu Catholic school in Cambodia, then at Penang Seminary. He was the interpreter for the Annamite delegation led by Phan Thanh Giản to Paris in June 1863, also visiting Egypt, Spain Portugal and Italy on this occasion. 

The first Vietnamese scholar to publish in European publications (notably the Bulletin de la Société Géographique de Paris), his works helped popularize the romanized script of the Vietnamese language, Quốc Ngữ, before its officialization. He also authored a reference study, Histoire d’Annam, the first significant history of Vietnam written in a European language and following European historiographic models.

See Pétrus-Ký’s biography on Nhip Cau Giao Ly blog (in Vietnamese).