French Indochina: Laos

I am embarking on another journey to another region in the French Indochina, Laos! In Laos, I did not notice a massive change as a result of French colonialism.

The French thought that the indigenous people of Laos were barbarians and thought that they, as white men, had the moral obligation to civilise them.

The French wanted firstly, to gain from the deposits of precious metals they believed Laos had.

Secondly, they wanted an inroad to China through the Mekong River.

Mekong River

Thirdly, France had a rivalry with Britain and they did not want Britain to take over Laos.

However, after taking over, they realised that most parts of the river were impenetrable and thus lost interest in Laos and did not give them much attention. As a result, there is little development seen in Laos after the French colonization.

As far as administration is concerned, the French directly administers most of Laos while some parts are indirectly controlled through the Kings. The colonial government has a few hundred French civil servants but the day to day issues are mostly taken care of by Vietnamese Civil Servants.

The French helped to bring social continuity to Laos. Through a group of French-educated Lao elites, the Lao language and literature was promoted and the first Lao-language Lao history books appeared in print. In recognition of the central educational role of Buddhism in Laos, efforts were also made to reorganise and give national character to the Lao Buddhist sangha through the establishment of Buddhist Institutes in Vientiane and Luang Prabang.

The intrusion of the French also brought about internal peace and reduced inter-tribal conflicts and because of the French colonialism, French gradually became the accepted language in administration and among the middle and upper classes in Lao society.

Since Laos is not providing good economic gains due to lack of resources and very less returns in agriculture, the French did not really spend money on improving the standards of living of the people of Laos. They also did not indulge in any construction of buildings, schools or hospitals.'

Laos was not a very important country for France, thus I could not observe any significant changes brought about by France. Vietnam was the main concern for France, and after France realised that Laos could not benefit them as well as they thought, they lost interest in Laos.

As there is less modernity in Laos, it gives me a chance to view more traditional buildings.

The Royal Palace Museum is constructed as King Sisavang Vong's palace. The building features a mixture of French beaux arts styles, where you can see the French influences, and traditional Lao motifs.

The Vat Sisaket Buddhist temple. It was built by King Setthathiratin in the city of Vientiane and houses around 6840 images of Lord Buddha.

From these buildings, I can experience the traditional Lao architecture as well as art, reflecting social continuity.

I also saw places obviously influenced by the French when I visited Fort Carnot. It is a small French fort which has two large watch towers and an amenities block including a kitchen and prison cell, two large garrison buildings and tunnels leading to external guardhouses.

Yet again it has come to the end of my day and time for dinner! For dinner, as usual I sampled the traditional Lao cuisine.