What was the role of religious groups in the development of anti-colonial feelings in Vietnam?

 

An early movement against French control and spread of Christianity was the Scholars’ Revolt in 1868. This was led by officials at the imperial court angered by the spread of Catholicism and French power. There was an uprising in Ngu An and Ha Tien provinces where over a thousands catholics were killed. Catholic missionaries had been active in converting people to Christianity since the early seventeenth century, and by the middle of the eighteenth century had converted some 300,000. This had angered the people of these provinces and led to the uprising. Though this uprising was crushed by the French, it had inspired the people of other regions to rise against the French colonialism.

One such movement was the Hoa Hao. It began in 1939 and gained popularity in Mekong Delta area. It drew on religious ideas popular in anti-French uprisings of the nineteenth century. The founder of Hoa Hao was Huynh Phu So. He performed miracles and helped the poor. His criticism against useless expenditure, opposition to the sale of child brides, gambling and the use of alcohol and opium had a wide appeal. The French tried to suppress the movement led by Huynh Phu So and declared him mad, called him the Mad Bonze and put him in a mental asylum. These movements were against French control and spread of Christianity. They were anti-colonial. Thus these movements played an important role in arousing anti-colonial feelings in Vietnam.