Paul Bernard’s arguments in favour of economic development of Vietnam: (i) He argued that the purpose of acquiring colonies was to make profits. (ii) If economy developed and the standard of living of the people improved, they would buy more goods. (iii) The market would consequently expand, leading to better profits for French business. (iv) To reduce rural poverty and increase agricultural productivity, it was necessary to carry out land reforms. (v) To ensure sufficient employment, industrialisation would create more jobs.