Question

Which was the language used by the Vietnamese elite?
A. French
B. Chinese
C. Vietnamese
D. Yaman

Answer 1

Hint: Colonial domination by French was exercised in Vietnam by the control over all areas of private and public life. The French occupied Vietnam military and sought to reshape its social and cultural life. The Vietnamese religious beliefs were a mixture of Confucianism, Buddhism and local practices. The French introduced Christianity and spread all over Vietnam with the help of scholars.

Complete answer: The elites in Vietnam were educated in Chinese and Confucianism. The French language faced many problems in the sphere of education as the elite Vietnamese were powerfully influenced by Chinese culture. To consolidate their power in Vietnam, the French had to counter the Chinese influence. Thus the policymakers emphasized the use of French language as a medium of instruction in schools. by learning that language the Vietnamese would be introduced to the new culture and civilization of France. Vietnamese would respect the French sentiments and ideas and see the superiority of French culture and will work for them. Others suggest imposing French in the higher classes. But the main problem was that only a small fraction of the population which were Vietnamese elite, enrolled in the schools and among them, only a few passed. This way school textbooks glorified the French and justified their colonial rule and Vietnamese were represented as primitive and backward.
Thus, the language used by Vietnamese was Chinese. Hence the correct option is-C.

Note: After the imposition of French language in schools. Teachers and students resisted against it and did not follow the curriculum. As most of the Vietnamese teachers belonged to the lower class and it became difficult to control what was taught. Therefore sometimes they silently resisted and sometimes they quietly modified the text and criticized what was stated.