Background
He was born in Văn Thôn village, Quang Liệt commune, present day Thanh Tri district, Hanoi.
He was born in Văn Thôn village, Quang Liệt commune, present day Thanh Tri district, Hanoi.
In the early life, he was famous as a straightforward man who passed the doctoral examination (Thái Học Sinh / 太學生) but refused to become a mandarin. Instead, An opened a school and began his career as a Confucian teacher in Huỳnh Cung village in Thanh Tri. Under the reign of emperor Tran Du Tong, he was raised to a high-ranking mandarin.
Later, he resigned and return to his home-village because Tran Du Tong refused his request of beheading eight other mandarins who he accused of corruption.
Foreign the rest of his life, An continued his teaching career and wrote books He died of illness in 1370.
An altar was erected in his honour in the Temple of Literature in Hanoi, where he is still revered.
