In what ways did the French occupation and colonisation impact the Vietnamese?

Question

What social, economic, and political impacts did the French have on Vietnam, both positive and negative?

Answer 1

Throughout the last 1,000 years of history of Viet Nam, the Vietnamese were fighting to throw out foreign governments from their country. Vietnamese life was cheap to the French, and the people were oppressed.

Force language; Roman letters must be used on all signs. French was considered the official language, in government dealings, and documents. Catholic faith was force or heavily handedly encouraged. In fact when I was in Viet Nam, (in 1967-68) some of the older Vietnamese, were bi, or tri-lingual, and spoke english, french, and of course their own language.

As in all colonization, the ruling imperial country ruled to their own Economic benefit.

During the ww2, the OSS, now CIA, were inserted into Viet Nam, and assisted Ho Chi Minh, in his Guerrilla war against the Japanese. Promises were made that Viet Nam would be given Independence after the war if the Japanese were defeated. After the war, France reniged on that promise, and the In-do-china war began in  earnest.

Answer 2

Koshu is right.

The French also brought the occidental alphabet, which makes Vietnam one the asian countries with the lowest rates of illiterate.

The French Right is still current in Vietnam, and the driving code is also inherited from France.

i have lived in Vietnam and now the Vietnamese dont have a bad feeling about the French, as in a way they recognize the positive effects of the French occupation.