(i) The colonisation of Vietnam by the French brought the people of the country into conflict with the colonisers in all areas of life. (ii) The French after landing in Vietnam in 1858 began to establish military and economic control over the country. (iii) The colonial economy in Vietnam was primarily based on rice cultivation and rubber plantations owned by the French and a small Vietnamese elite. Rail and port facilities were set up to service this sector. (iv) Indentured Vietnamese labour was widely used in the rubber plantations. (v) The French did nothing to industrialise the economy of Vietnam. In rural areas landlordism spread and the standard of living declined. (vi) School textbooks glorified the French and justified colonial rule. The Vietnamese were represented as primitive and backward, capable of manual labour but not of intellectual reflection. (vii) In the field of religion too the conflict started against the French. Several religious movements were initiated in Vietnam because they were hostile to the western presence.