Dong Du Vietnam Analysis

Between being colonized by the Chinese or by the French, Vietnam has throughout its history been either dominated directly by or at least influenced politically by a foreign power. The French began directly ruling over Vietnam in 1887 after winning a series of wars in the name of extracting coal, rubber, rice, and rare minerals. However, the birthplace of the Enlightenment and resulting French Revolution provided little in return, intentionally leaving Vietnam to be grossly illiterate, lacking any modern industry, and dependent upon France. In opposition to the exploitation, the Dong Du, a Vietnamese independence movement inspired by Japan's anticolonial success against Russia in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, grew within a community

The Vietnamese bureaucracy and emperor often functioned as a vehicle for the French to politically assert their dominance over Vietnam; overthrowing this system would be the first step in creating a sense of national identity for Vietnam as it would remove political power from the hands of the

Under France's direct rule, public works projects were pursued, but did not benefit the Vietnamese or Vietnam's economy. These projects were financed by exorbitantly high taxes on nearly every activity that the Vietnamese were involved in, which the Vietnamese people did not vote on. In the Pleasant Condition called "No Unequal Taxes or Forced Labor," Chau insists that in a modern, independent Vietnam that "taxes on this or that commodity have to be agreed upon by our people, and the proceeds must be spent on useful enterprises for the public good. The government can only start implementing its tax policies after the people have given their consent." The concept of fair taxes advances the cause of modern Vietnamese nationalism because in a Vietnamese democracy, taxes would be spent on projects and initiatives that would directly benefit the people, such as infrastructure and education. This is contrary to the French double whammy policy of taxing the Vietnamese without allowing them to determine their own taxation, and not returning their investment to them in any form, but rather using the revenues to finance further