French language in Vietnam

[1] Vietnam is the largest Francophone country in Asia and is a member of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF).

During World War II, Japan briefly occupied Vietnam and established Vietnamese as the sole official and educational language.

At the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in 1954, the Viet Minh defeated the French and Vietnam gained its independence, though the nation was soon divided into a communist, Soviet-orientated north, and a capitalist, US-orientated government in the south.

[5] Fearing persecution by the communist government, hundreds of thousands fled to the south, including French-educated and speaking elite.

[7] Additionally, many French-speakers who were anti-communist fled Vietnam and immigrated to nations such as the United States, France, Canada (most particularly Quebec and Ontario) and Australia.

[8] Citing historic, sociopolitical, and cultural contexts, the Vietnamese government has implemented projects to promote or reintegrate French into education systems as a foreign language, especially at the secondary and higher levels.

[2] Notably, many university programs in engineering, science, medicine, and law remain taught in French and an increasing number of schools in urban areas such as Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, and Cần Thơ use the language as either the main medium of instruction or alongside Vietnamese.

[9] Teacher training programs to enhance the quality of French instruction have been agreed upon with France, Belgium, Canada, and the other Francophone Asian countries of Laos and Cambodia.

The majority of words having French origin are those relating to objects, food and technology introduced to the Vietnamese during the colonial era.

A small number of French-language newspapers used to circulate in the country, most dominantly the now extinct Saigon Eco and the only remaining state-owned paper Le Courrier du Vietnam.