 Despite his collaboration with the French colonizers, Khả was "motivated less by Francophilia than by certain reformist ambitions".Like Phan Châu Trinh, Khả believed that independence from France could be achieved only after changes in Vietnamese politics, society and culture had occurred.In 1907, after the ouster of emperor Thành Thái, Khả resigned his appointments, withdrew from the imperial court, and became a farmer in the countryside.