"The pearl of the Empire", that's how the French described their colony of Indochina, comprised of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. They took over control in the nineteenth century, exploited the place for decades, and finally got kicked out in 1954-55.  It is a story of violence and exploitation. Of colonization and war. Of exchanges and legacies. And sometimes, of beauty. A story also rarely told in France, as the French aren't proud of what they did there. Let’s find out more about French Indochina; from Imperial Jewel, to Hell on Earth.  Timecodes: Introduction 03:23- The Second French Colonial Empire 08:26- The Establishment of French Indochina 16:43- A Colony of Exploitation 21:58- Bloody Greed 25:52- World War II and the Vietnamese Emancipation 30:07- The Indochina War 42:43- Conclusion Music: Marche pour la cérémonie des Turcs, composed by Jean-Baptiste Lully, arranged and performed by Jérôme Arfouche. Art: Poster for tourism in French Indochina drawn by J. Lhuissier, circa 1920. Support the showReach out, support the show and give me feedback! Twitter, Facebook, Mastodon, Reddit, Threads, & Instagram Leave a 5-star review on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify Become a patron on Patreon to support the show Buy me a Coffee Get beautiful “La Fayette, We are Here!” merchandise from TeePublic