The main features of the education being given in the Tonkin Free School were: (i) This school was started in 1907, to provide Western style education. (ii) In the new education system, more stress was given to science, hygiene and French. (iii) These schools encouraged the adoption of Western style such as having a short haircut. (iv) For the traditional Vietnamese, ‘having short haircut’ was a major cultural setback as they traditionally kept long hair. Thus, the establishment of new schools gave a major setback to the Vietnamese traditional culture.