The Beginning with the French
One of the first Frenchmen to visit Vietnam was the Jesuit father Alexandre de Rhodes. He arrived there in 1620. While he was in Vietnam, he wrote the first Vietnamese Catechism and he published the first Portuguese–Latin–Vietnamese dictionary. This dictionary was later widely used by Vietnamese scholars to create the new Vietnamese writing system, based the Latin script and now called Quốc Ngữ and is their national language. In 1627, he traveled to Tongking, northern Vietnam, where he worked until 1630, when he was forced to leave. He was expelled from Vietnam in 1630 as they became concerned about the dangers of the Roman Catholic religion.
France had a lot to do with protecting the work of Catholic missionaries in the country. France then slowly built up and carved for itself a huge colony, which would form French Indochina in 1887. France continued to rule Vietnam as a colony until France's defeat in the First Indochina War and the proclamation of Vietnam's independence in 1954.
France had a lot to do with protecting the work of Catholic missionaries in the country. France then slowly built up and carved for itself a huge colony, which would form French Indochina in 1887. France continued to rule Vietnam as a colony until France's defeat in the First Indochina War and the proclamation of Vietnam's independence in 1954.
By: Hannah K.