| Vietnamese resistance to French colonial rule began immediately following the establishment of a French colony in Cochinchina in 1862. This initial resistance was led by Vietnamese scholars, teachers and students. The reasons for this were rooted in Confucian tradition. Vietnamese scholars were referred to as the "mothers and fathers" of the Vietnamese people. As such they were not only the nation's teachers, but they were also its moral exemplars. Theirs was also the responsibility for rising against any threat to Vietnamese society.; In order to consolidate their hold on Vietnamese society, French colonial administrators quickly dismantled the traditional Vietnamese educational system and established another in its place which would reflect French ideals and aspirations. Despite the increasing presence of Vietnamese students in French-established schools, the Vietnamese tradition for rebellion was not diminished. In the early twentieth century, new generations of Vietnamese students enrolled in colonial schools took on the responsibilities of their predecessors. These young Vietnamese took it upon themselves to denounce French colonial rule and its injustices. They did this often by mounting school strikes and student protests.; Archival materials, official correspondence, memos, letters, notebooks, and newspaper articles illustrate that these students, some in their early teenage years, were highly conscious that their situation in French schools was a microcosm of French colonial rule. Their protests were not merely self-absorbed attempts to better their own situations; they were also indictments of French colonial rule. |
