Impacts of Imperialism on Vietnam

Alexis Hedman December 20, 2019 Global Studies 10 Heald/ Fenton Impacts of Imperialism on Vietnam Vietnam has not had an easy history. Plagued by Imperialism, Vietnam has endured many hardships which are still evident to this day. France first entered Vietnam in the 16th century (Ladenburg). They enforced their language, culture, education, legal system, and infrastructure following their overtaking of the country. The French did this simply because the Vietnamese were seen as easily conquerable and inferior to white people (Ladenburg). Under French rule, the natives suffered. Farmers and workers lost land and homes, heavy taxes and tariffs were applied, poor Vietnamese workers were forced to work on plantations while under horrible conditions and worse, they were barely paid wages equal to the poorest Frenchmen (Ladenburg). The Vietnamese did eventually force them out long after, however theoretically, the French still remain. The lasting impacts of Imperialism have extremely affected Vietnam. Vietnam currently has a very strong economic system, however the social impacts on the native peoples are negative.

Vietnam currently has a very strong economy despite the struggles it faced with Imperialism.

The opposing side would argue that Imperialism brought by the French, is the main factor in Vietnam’s thriving economy. Before the French came, Vietnam was peaceful and had gender equality, good education, good land cultivation, and beautiful culture (Ladenburg). However,

they weren’t very aware of the outside world, though some would argue that they needed a push in the right direction. The French did indeed bring many good buildings and items which helped to jump-start the country. Unfortunately, Vietnam did not want to be imperialized and oppressed.

Almost anyone would argue that they would not want this either. Despite the years of struggling with French rule, Vietnam prevailed. After years of isolation from the world, Vietnam changed the tides in 1988 when “the government introduced ‘Doi Moi’, a series of economic and political reforms, and steered the country to becoming a ‘socialist-oriented market economy’” (Vanham).

When Vanham says “the government”, he is referring to the Vietnamese government, not the French government. Vietnam built their economy off of the industrialized resources that France left behind. Therefore, Vietnam has a self-made economy untouched by the greedy paws of France. France brought their world to Vietnam for the soul purpose of aiding themselves; this is how colonization works. However, Vietnam was clever to use these privileges to industrialize and better their economy. Vietnam now has great infrastructure and trade as well as exports to other countries. Considering that they went through an isolation period, the reforms definitely helped the country jump into the spotlight. Vietnam now has economic growth of six to seven percent which is comparable to China. Their exports are worth their total gross domestic product, which is a very good thing (Vanham). Considering that China is one of the main manufacturers in the world and is also undergoing industrialism, this is a very surprising feature when considering the time constraints. In 42 years, Vietnam has substantially climbed the economic ladder and is now seen as one of the more important countries in The World Trade Organization and The Association of Southeast Asian Nations, which are both very important economic groups (Vanham). This is not because of France, but because of Vietnam’s government and their

policies. These Doi Moi policies “court foreign investment, and liberalize trade. Other policies essentially legalized free trade activities” (Jamieson). Similar to the United States, Vietnamese people can now conduct their own businesses rather than relying on large corporations. When citizens can buy and sell from other citizens, money flows through the economy more evenly.

This is a very strong system built by Vietnam, not France, which allows some personal freedoms.

However, many freedoms remain restricted for Vietnamese citizens.

The Vietnamese people have been negatively impacted regarding social aspects. To clarify, the state of Vietnam is stable. However, their government has been mistreating and abusing its people. Vietnamese police officers use methods of torture to withdraw information and unreliable confessions from suspects (Human Rights Watch). Their government and justice system are flawed; a good justice system uses trials and prosecution. In fact, torture is illegal in many well-developed countries for a very good reason. Torture is simply ineffective, doesn’t gaurentee the truth, and is cruel. Vietnam has a good economic system, but they need to focus more on their dealings with citizens. Their method for handling those who oppose Vietnam’s violent practices, such as reporters, is also using violence. In some instances, activists who try to spread the truth are silenced with jail time (Human Rights Watch). Again, violent measures are used to control people which instills fear. While this does force people to follow the authorities, it is not right. Instead, the government should instill trust in their minds. The citizens of a country are the priority, not it’s economics or politics. If the citizens dislike the government, they may threaten rebellion which has happened before in the country’s past; with the French. Therefore, does this make the Vietnamese government any better than the French who colonized their land

and belittled their people? Again about the silencing of activists, this is a violation of one of humanity’s basic rights; freedom of speech. People are not happy when they are not free, so when “Basic rights, including freedom of speech, opinion, press, association, and religion, are restricted,” not much is stopping the Vietnamese citizens from fighting back (Human Rights Watch). Again, it is the utmost responsibility of a country’s government to ensure that its people are being treated right. The Vietnamese government have failed their own people by treating them in a way that their previous imperializers did. Arguably, the French did influence the very culture of Vietnam as well as their beliefs, language, legal system, etc… (Ladenburg). It would make sense for the government to continue these practices, albeit these are all they truly know and are left with. Long after their rule, the French still had an impact on the Vietnamese regarding how their people are ruled.

The lasting impact of Imperialism on Vietnam is relatively negative. The French may have brought industrialization to south-east Asia faster, but the Vietnamese never asked for this.

Despite the unwanted guests and the war they brought, Vietnam managed to army-crawl through the mud of France and the United States’ messes. As of this minute, Vietnam’s economy is growing at an extreme rate. To clarify, this is all the doing of Vietnamese officials, not those who are French. France is often credited with the success of its past colonies, but this situation was not a success. While the French did not directly influence the economy, they did influence the government’s plan of leadership. Due to the many years of toxic French rule, the Vietnamese government severely mistreats its citizens. Imperialism has done a large amount of harm to Vietnam. Regardless, Vietnam has brought itself back into the world with much to offer. It is not

yet clear how powerful the country of Vietnam may become in the future. Could Vietnam even surpass France; the country which inflicted all of this damage? Only time will tell.

Annotated Bibliography

“Vietnam.” ​Hrw​, www.hrw.org/asia/vietnam This online article about how Vietnam provides information concerning the government’s corrupt way of handling their citizens. The Vietnamese government violates basic human rights and treats their citizens just as France did when they were occupied Vietnam. This article helps to understand how even if their economy was better, the government was not. This was a very important source because it addressed one of two main points, therefore it is used to address the social impacts of Imperialism. The article also helps to highlight that not every country is as free as, say, the United States. Every culture has different beliefs, but that does not exactly make them right or acceptable. This helps to explain how France impacted Vietnam in such a way that they copied their method of proceedings concerning public affairs.

Vanham, Peter. “The story of Viet Nam’s economic miracle.” ​Weforum,​ www.weforum.org/agenda/2018/09/how-vietnam-became-an-economic-miracle This online article, written by a reputable website focused around economy, exceptionally explains how Vietnam grew from a small country ravaged by war to an up-and-coming economy acknowledged by many. Vietnam was miraculously saved by a clever set of reforms by the name of “doi moi”. The article also explains how the country is economically performing now; very well and growing fast. This article was used to

explain how, despite the imperialism of France, Vietnam was able to succeed. This helped to show how Vietnam was able to determine its future; not it’s colonizing country.

This source was very useful in the first assertion about Vietnam’s economy.

Jamieson, Neil L., et al. “Vietnam.” ​Britannica​, www.britannica.com/place/vietnam

Ladenburg, Thomas. “The French in Indochina.” ​DigitalHistory, http://www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/teachers/lesson_plans/pdfs/unit12_1.pdf