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| Franco-Vietnamese Relations and their Results on Vietnam |
| Anyone who has read my colleague's page on the foreign incursions into Vietnam should not come away with the assumption that I or the Vietnamese people are Francophobes. On the contrary, despite a great deal of hard feelings, France and Vietnam will be forever linked by bonds of history. Certainly the Nguyen Dynasty tried to be a friend to France, starting with the "Great Conqueror" Emperor Gia Long. The last Son of Heaven, the august Emperor Bao Dai was educated in France and spent much of his life there, both before his reign and while in exile. Even the patriotic fighter Emperor Duy Tan was a known lover of the French people and culture, he simply did not want them ruling his country. That is the point that is important to make: France and Vietnam could have easily been fast friends if Vietnam had been allowed to govern itself independently. Evidence of French influence remains today, mostly in the south, and it cannot be said that France did not make some beneficial changes to Vietnam. The problem was the general trend of imperialism and attitudes of superiority that was common across Europe and America. Colonialism was not an invention of the French, nor was the feelings of imperialist foreign policy unique to France. The people were not to blame, and even many French leaders cared little to own Vietnam. The man who first formally invaded and determined to conquer Vietnam was Emperor Louis Bonaparte, Napoleon III, whose ambition and desire to rule foreign lands brought trouble not only for Vietnam but nations like Mexico and eventually even France itself. It is also worthy to note that Franco-Vietnamese relations were always much better during the period of the Kingdom of France rather than the French Republic. The feelings that caused so much trouble between the French and Vietnamese were not particular to those countries. The Vietnamese tended to distrust any foreigners, especially after seeing the fate of the mighty Empire of China. French leaders likewise did not trust the Vietnamese and felt that cooperation could only be maintained by force and later when the break began, the war was fueled by unfortunate but understandable feelings of national pride and the desire to make up for the defeats suffered in World War II. In short, the conflict between the French and Vietnamese nations was unneccessary and truly unfortunate. It is important for Vietnamese not to judge all of the French based on the cruelties of a few, and it is important for the French to remember that the Nguyen Dynasty and Vietnam itself has always wished to be friends with France, in a relationship that is equal and beneficial to both. It should be remembered that the last Empress of Vietnam, the second wife of His Imperial Majesty Bao Dai was French and the founder of the Nguyen Dynasty might not have lived to unite Vietnam had it not been for the kindness of a certain French Bishop. The past must be remembered but as both Christ and Buddha taught, let us hold anger against no one. |
| Written by Nguyen Thi Diu |