Editing French Indochina (section)

== Demographics ==
=== Population ===
[[File:Colonies of the second French colonial empire.jpg|thumb|left|upright=0.8|Indochina in 1891 (from ''{{lang|fr|[[Le Monde illustré]]}}'') {{olist
    |Panorama of ''Lac-Kaï''
    |''Yun-nan'', in the quay of [[Hanoi]]
    |Flooded street of Hanoi
    |Landing stage of Hanoi
}}]]

The [[Vietnamese people|Vietnamese]], [[Lao people|Lao]] and [[Khmer people|Khmer]] ethnic groups formed the majority of their respective colony's populations. Minority groups, such as the [[Muong people|Muong]], [[Tay people|Tay]], [[Chams]], and [[Jarai people|Jarai]], were collectively known as [[Degar|Montagnards]] and resided principally in the mountain regions of Indochina. [[Overseas Chinese|Ethnic Han Chinese]] were largely concentrated in major cities, especially the ''[[Hoa people|Hoa]]'' in Cochinchina and the ''[[Chinese Cambodians|Chen]]'' in Cambodia, where they became heavily involved in trade and commerce. In addition, there was also a tiny [[French people|French minority]] which accounted for 0.2% of the population (or 39,000 people) by 1940.<ref>Jennings, Eric. (2001). p136. ''Vichy in the Tropics: Pétain's National Revolution in Madagascar, Guadeloupe, and Indochina, 1940–1944''. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.</ref> Around 95% of French Indochina's population was rural in a 1913 estimate, although urbanisation did slowly grow over the course of French rule.{{efn|Vietnam alone has fifty-four ethnic groups, presented at the Ethnographic Museum of Hanoi.}}

=== Religion ===
[[File:St. Joseph's Cathedral - Hanoi, Vietnam.jpg|thumb|The [[Cathédrale Saint-Joseph de Hanoï]], inspired by [[Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris]].]]

The principal religion in French Indochina was [[Buddhism]], with [[Mahayana|Mahayana Buddhism]] influenced by [[Confucianism]] more dominant in Vietnam, while [[Theravada|Theravāda Buddhism]] was more widespread in Laos and Cambodia. In addition, active [[Catholicism|Roman Catholic]] missionaries were widespread throughout Indochina and roughly 10% of Tonkin's population identified as Catholic by the end of French rule. [[Cao Đài]]'s and [[Hòa Hảo]]'s origins began during this period as well.<ref>{{citation |last=Hoskins (a) |first=Janet Alison |title=What Are Vietnam's Indigenous Religions? |year=2012 |url=http://www.cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/edit/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/NL643-6.pdf |publisher=Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Kyoto University |pages=4–6 |access-date=5 August 2022 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181944/http://www.cseas.kyoto-u.ac.jp/edit/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/NL643-6.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |chapter=Vietnamese Religious Society |title=The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions |editor-first=Mark |editor-last=Juergensmeyer |editor-link=Mark Juergensmeyer |date=October 2006 |doi=10.1093/oxfordhb/9780195137989.003.0011 |isbn=9780195137989 |first=Jayne S. |last=Werner |page=4 }}</ref>

=== French settlements ===
[[File:French Indochina 1937.png|thumb|220px|Subdivisions of French Indochina]]

Unlike [[French Algeria|Algeria]], French settlement in Indochina did not occur at a grand scale. By 1940, only about 34,000 [[French diaspora|French civilians]] lived in French Indochina, along with a smaller number of French military personnel and government workers (6,000). Of these almost half, 16,550, lived in Cochinchina, the vast majority living in Saigon.<ref>Pierre Brocheux and Daniel Hémery (2001), ''Indochine : la colonisation ambiguë 1858–1954, La Découverte'', 2001, p. 178. ({{ISBN|978-2-7071-3412-7}})</ref>

The principal reasons why French settlement did not grow in a manner similar to that in French North Africa (which had a population of over 1 million French civilians) were because French Indochina was seen as a {{lang|fr|colonie d'exploitation économique}} (colony for economic exploitation) rather than a {{lang|fr|colonie de peuplement}} (settlement colony helping [[Metropolitan France]] from being overpopulated), and because Indochina was distant from France itself.

=== Language ===
{{See also|French language in Vietnam|French language in Cambodia|French language in Laos}}

During French colonial rule, the [[French language]] was the principal language of education, government, trade, and media and French was widely introduced to the general population. French became widespread among urban and semi-urban populations and became the principal language of the elite and educated. This was most notable in the colonies of Tonkin and Cochinchina (Northern and Southern Vietnam respectively), where French influence was most heavy, while Annam, Laos and Cambodia were less influenced by French education.<ref>[http://axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/asie/vietnam-3Pol-lng-off.htm Vietnam – La politique linguistique] {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806230835/http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/asie/vietnam-3Pol-lng-off.htm |date=6 August 2020 }}, ''L'aménagement linguistique dans le monde'' (in French)</ref> Despite the dominance of French in official and educational settings, local populations still largely spoke their native languages. After French rule ended, the French language was still largely used among the new governments (with the exception of North Vietnam). Today, French continues to be taught as a second language in the former colonies and used in some administrative affairs.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Bilingualism and Bilingual Education |last1=Baker |first1=Colin |publisher=Multilingual Matters |year=1998 |isbn=9781853593628 |last2=Jones |first2=Sylvia Prys |page=384 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/16/style/IHT-french-declines-in-indochina-as-english-booms.html |title=French Declines in Indochina, as English Booms |last=Richardson |first=Michael |date=16 October 1993 |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] |archive-date=1 October 2023 |access-date=20 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001081055/https://www.nytimes.com/1993/10/16/style/IHT-french-declines-in-indochina-as-english-booms.html |url-status=live }}</ref>