THE FRENCH EMPIRE, THE COLONIAL STATE IN VIETNAM AND ECONOMIC-POLICY - 1885-1940

French colonial economic policy in Vietnam, as in other parts of the French Empire, was dominated by the concept of self-sufficiency within the Empire from the 1880s up until 1940. This article argues that, in spite of the determination of French industrial interests to Protect colonial markets for their own exports, some growth of local manufacturing did occur in Indochina, especially in the textile sector. It is concluded that as a result of the autarkic colonial system, not only were the small and weak textile producers in France protected from foreign competition but also the indigenous weavers of Vietnam.