Phan Bội Châu
In early 1904, Hien met the leading Vietnamese nationalist of the time, Phan Bội Châu. Chau had traveled to meet supporters in the Mekong Delta region, where he was introduced to Hien. Hien and his wealthy landowners group agreed to become the dominant financiers of the Đông Du ("Eastern Study") movement, which funded young nationalists in traveling to Japan, where they would study and participate in activism for Vietnam's independence from abroad.