“EXPLOITATION AND CONTROL”: FRENCH COLONIAL POLICY IN HAI DUONG FROM THE LATE 19TH TO EARLY 20TH CENTURY

DOI: 10.18173/2354-1067.2026-0008

Abstract

This article examines French colonial policy in Hai Duong from the late 19th to the early 20th centuries, when the province was placed under a "protectorate" regime following the Harmand Treaty (1883) and the Patenôtre Treaty (1884). It analyzes the system of political, military, economic, and cultural policies implemented to strengthen colonial control and exploitation. Based on the analysis and comparison of French and Vietnamese sources, combined with historical and logical methods, the article clarifies the operating mechanisms of the colonial administrative apparatus. The results show that France established a comprehensive system of rule that tightly controlled political and social life. Hai Duong became an important economic exploitation center in Northern Vietnam, creating the conditions for the transformation of patriotic movements in Hai Duong before 1930.