Life in Vietnam Before the French Before the French came to Indochina, Vietnam, the Khmer Empire (Cambodia), and the Laotian Kingdom (Laos) were independent countries. Vietnam had been ruled by neighboring China for hundreds of years, but after centuries of resistance the Vietnamese people overthrew their Chinese rulers and became independent. The tradition of armed...Read More

The French burdened the Vietnamese with an extensive taxation system. This included income tax on wages, a poll tax on all adult males, stamp duties on a wide range of publications and documents, and imposts on the weighing and measuring of agricultural goods.Read More