Question

Why did a major protest erupt in 1926 in the Saigon Native Girls School in Vietnam? Explain.

Answer 1

In the early twentieth century, the French had control over Vietnam. They thought that it was their responsibility to civilise the Vietnamese by educating them. However, the Vietnamese were not educated much. In fact many were failed in their final years of education due to the fear that they might either question French dominion or get a better job than the French "colons". During this phase in 1926, a protest also came into being in the Saigon Native Girls School. This protest erupted due to the discrimination of a Vietnamese girl in comparison to a French student. The girl was asked to move to the back row and make space for a French student in the front row. On refusal, she was expelled by the Principal and the students who protested against this discrimination were also expelled. As a result, the protest broke. Subsequently, the government forced the school to take back the students. Thus, it was a partial victory for the students. Also, it was an event that laid the foundation for the Vietnamese revolution in the coming years.