Why did France colonize Vietnam?

Answer 1

Because France wanted to trade with inner china. Ghey wanted to take Vietnam, because they thought that they could get to China through there, but they realized that they couldn't after the colonization was already complete. This was due to very high waterfalls.

France also wanted rubber, which was made by burning the sap from rubber trees found in Vietnam. At first they traded with the Vietnamese, but then this was an extra incentive, besides the route to china, to colonize Vietnam.

France also used social darwinism. Charles Darwin wrote a book called "origins of species", which promoted a theory called "survival of the fittest." The Europeans then decided that the most "fit" nations should rule the other "unfit" ones, which is what France decided to do with Vietnam. this craze which swept across Europe is known as "social darwinism."

France also thought that they were doing Vietnam a favor.

Answer 2

Before the advent of synthetic rubber, natural rubber grown inside tree trunks were used for tires, rain coats, rubber gloves, rubber boots, etc. Vietnam is rich in rubber trees. This raw material, along with the excellent sea ports in Vietnam for exporting and importing merchandise made Vietnam an excellent investment. Camh Ranh Bay is an excellent port for seagoing vessels. In 1905 the Russian Battleship Fleet used the port for re-coaling before sailing to their destiny at the "Battle of Tsushima" on 27 May 1905.