According to Bernard, economic growth in Vietnam was hindered by

• high population levels

• low agricultural productivity

• extensive indebtedness among peasants

• all of these

Only one-third of the students in Vietnam would pass the school-leaving examinations.

The French began building canals and draining lands in the Mekong delta.

The government made the Saigon Native Girls School take back the students it had expelled.

Rats were most common in the modern, newly built areas of Hanoi.

Describe the ideas behind the Tonkin Free School. To what extent was it a typical example of colonial ideas in Vietnam?

What was Phan Chu Trinh’s objective for Vietnam? How were his ideas different from those of Phan Boi Chau?

With reference to what you have read in this chapter, discuss the influence of China on Vietnam’s culture and life.

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

Explain the causes of the US involvement in the war of Vietnam. What effect did this involvement have on life within the US itself?

Write an evaluation of the Vietnamese War against the US from the point of view of:

(a) a porter on the Ho Chi Minh trail.

(b) a woman soldier.