French Vietnam, 1870s-1920s

G3 Full History - syllabus K330, 2027

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Understand French expansion into Annam and Tonkin, then follow how control of government, rice, coal and schools changed Vietnamese lives and responses.

• Background: French interests before 1870

  French contacts created influence before conquest. Control of Cochinchina in the south later gave France a base for expansion into central and northern Vietnam.

• Why expand into Annam and Tonkin?

  France hoped control of Tonkin would secure trade and strengthen its international position. Fear of rival influence made a promising trade route more urgent.

• Conquest and protectorates

  French force and treaties restricted Vietnamese governing power, even where an emperor and local officials remained in place.

• Production and colonial revenue

  Rice and coal exports grew, while rent, taxes and colonial monopolies affected how much income ordinary people could keep.

• Social change under unequal rule

  New jobs and limited schooling opened opportunities for some people, while landlessness and unequal rights restricted others.

• Resistance took different forms

  Vietnamese opponents of colonial rule disagreed over how to bring change: armed loyalty to an emperor, organisation abroad or reform of society.

French Vietnam is an optional G3 Full History essay unit. Its source activity develops evidence skills; it is not a prescribed exam source-based case-study topic.