Some were supporters of the mystic and geomancer Phan Xich Long,[1] who had claimed to be a descendant of the boy Emperor Hàm Nghi, who had been deposed by the French for attempting a revolt with the aim of securing independence some three decades earlier.

[1] The centrepiece of the plot was to seize the central prison of Saigon, in order to facilitate the release of Phan Xich Long and many other revolutionaries who had been imprisoned.

The prison was also viewed among the populace as a symbol of the hated French colonial rule, so its capture was intended to provide a psychological boost to foment the general public into joining the uprising.

At Bến Tre to the south in the Mekong Delta, a march by villagers resulted in the burning and destruction of the local archives and registers offices.

In Vĩnh Long in the delta, the Nghia Hoa society led a protest march to the office of the local French administrator, while a group that had come north from Cần Thơ with the intention of joining them was forcibly dispersed before reaching their destination.

In the town of Tây Ninh, on the western border with Cambodia, an armed rebel unit led by the self-proclaimed General Vuong Van Le briefly patrolled the surrounding areas.