Since the mid-19^th century, many countries in Asia have been invaded by Western colonists, including Vietnam. When Vietnam was invaded by the French colonialists, the Nguyen dynasty in Vietnam gradually failed in the war against the French colonialists. In that context, many progressive thinkers proposed to reform the country so that they could develop the economy and restore independence, and Nguyen Truong To is the most representative representative of reform thought in Vietnam. Nguyen Truong To was a Catholic intellectual, he was famous for his intelligence and was soon used by the Nguyen Dynasty. He was able to visit and study in many places around the world, so he formed the idea of ​​reforming the country. He wrote many petitions sent to Emperor Tu Duc with the desire to reform the country. His proposals are very comprehensive, it covers many issues of the country such as politics, economy, education, culture, military, diplomacy, social welfare... His reformist ideas became typical of reform thought in Vietnam in the 19^th century. It can be compared with many major reformist ideas in contemporary Asia such as the reform thought of Fukuzawa Yukichi in Japan. However, due to various factors, his reformist ideas were not realized.

This article uses historical research methods to collect documents related to his reformist thought. Besides, the analytical and comparative methods aim to explain the positive and negative points of Nguyen Truong To's reformist thought. Thereby, the author can raise the experience in the construction and development of Vietnam today.