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182<br />
LAOS IN DEPTH<br />
9<br />
LOOKING BACK<br />
<strong>The</strong> Emergence <strong>of</strong> French Indochina<br />
In this modern age, rampant imperialism is something that we would find very<br />
hard to justify. Good c<strong>of</strong>fee, however, is not. France’s interest in the Indochina<br />
region began in the 17th century with the mission <strong>of</strong> the Jesuit priest, Father<br />
Alexandre de Rhodes. Involvement was confined to trade during the 18th century.<br />
<strong>The</strong> French became more proactive during the 19th century, aiding Catholic<br />
missionaries in Vietnam who were under pressure from the ruling Nguyen<br />
dynasty. In September 1858, 14 French gunships, 3,000 men, and 300 Filipino<br />
troops provided by the Spanish under the command <strong>of</strong> Charles Rigault de<br />
Genouilly attacked the port <strong>of</strong> Tourane (present-day Da Nang), causing a lot <strong>of</strong><br />
damage, and occupying the city. Heading south, De Genouilly then attacked and<br />
occupied the poorly defended city <strong>of</strong> Sai Gon (present-day Ho Chi Minh City). On<br />
April 11, 1862, the Vietnamese government was forced to cede the territories <strong>of</strong><br />
Biên Hòa, Gia Dinh and Dinh Tuong to France. In 1862, France obtained further<br />
concessions from Vietnamese Emperor Tu Duc, ceding huge amounts <strong>of</strong> territory<br />
to this newly rapacious aggressor. In 1863, the <strong>Cambodia</strong>n King Norodom had<br />
requested the establishment <strong>of</strong> a French protectorate over his country. French<br />
Indochina came into being in October 1887, consisting <strong>of</strong> Annam, Tonkin, Cochinchina<br />
(which together form modern Vietnam), and the Kingdom <strong>of</strong> <strong>Cambodia</strong><br />
following the Sino-French War <strong>of</strong> 1884. <strong>Laos</strong> was added after the Franco-Siamese<br />
War <strong>of</strong> 1893. <strong>The</strong> union continued until 1954, when the French were forcibly<br />
ejected by the heroic efforts <strong>of</strong> the forces <strong>of</strong> Ho Ch Minh under the command <strong>of</strong><br />
military genius General Giap at Dien Bien Phu. Although the French occupation<br />
<strong>of</strong> Indochina was short and <strong>of</strong>ten brutal, they left their mark in culture, food, language,<br />
and architecture. It was the French who recognized the beauty <strong>of</strong> Luang<br />
Prabang and enhanced it. It was they who rebuilt Vientiane after its was<br />
destroyed by the Thais, and it was they who attempted to restore many ancient<br />
monuments. Above all, it was the French who bought the humble baguette<br />
sandwich to Asia and some <strong>of</strong> the best c<strong>of</strong>fee in the world. <strong>The</strong> Lao call baguette<br />
Khao ji, and this French legacy <strong>of</strong> superb breakfasts continues to this day.<br />
WORLD WAR II & AFTER<br />
With the advent <strong>of</strong> World War II, Siam<br />
was allied to Japan and went for an opportunistic<br />
land grab, taking western <strong>Cambodia</strong><br />
and Xainaburi and Champasak in<br />
<strong>Laos</strong>. In response, the French actively<br />
encouraged Lao nationalism (even though<br />
Vichy France was pro-Axis after the fall <strong>of</strong><br />
Paris), thus letting a genie out <strong>of</strong> the bottle<br />
that they would never be able to return. It<br />
prompted a massive and punitive response<br />
from the Japanese in 1945. After the<br />
defeat <strong>of</strong> the Japanese, there was turmoil as<br />
King Sisavang Vong veered wildly between<br />
independence and supporting a return <strong>of</strong><br />
the French. After sacking his prime minister<br />
and cousin, Prince Phetsarath, he was<br />
deposed by the National Assembly. <strong>The</strong><br />
French were largely behind this as part <strong>of</strong><br />
De Gaulle’s push to regain the lost colonies<br />
<strong>of</strong> Indochina. <strong>The</strong> British who were<br />
administering these countries acquiesced,<br />
not wishing to create a precedent in terms<br />
<strong>of</strong> their own colonial upheavals, particularly<br />
in India.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re had been contacts between the<br />
Lao freedom movement, or Lao Issara, and<br />
the Communist Viet Minh since 1945. In