The Chinese traders in French Indochina: partners or rivals?

Introduction: In the early twentieth century, contemporary observers acknowledged that the export trade out of north Vietnam was dominated by Chinese traders. There was considerable public interest in their fortunes expressed by British and Chinese in Hong Kong, the French in Indochina and Chinese in China.2 This study examines Chinese involvement in the Tonkin rice trade during the French colonial period, tracing the changing fortunes of the Chinese rice merchants of Haïphong. It gives special attention to the levels of co-operation which existed between the French colonial authorities and the Chinese merchants.