Saigon - Pearl of the Orient

Abstract

In her book France in Indochina: colonial encounters, Nicole Cooper, an American historian, made a comparison between the British Empire and the French Empire in the process of colonizing different territories in Asia. The French carried out the invasion of Indochina for many years. They first seized Nam Kỳ (Cochinchina) in the year 1859. In the next 30 years, they moved northward and occupied Trung Kỳ (Annam), Bắc Kỳ (Tonkin), and then Cambodia and Laos. These lands were grouped under the official name "French Indochina" (Indochine Français) in 1885. Thus, French Indochina would compete with the British Indies. The French desired to create the."Pearl of the Orient" (Perle de l'Extrême Orient) to rival India, called the "Jewel in the Crown" by the British.