Bazin assassination
Encyclopedia
The assassination of Hervé Bazin, a French labour recruiter in Hanoi
, on February 9, 1929, marked a turning point and the beginning of the demise of the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng
(VNQDD), the Vietnamese Nationalist Party, which perpetrated the killing. The resulting French retribution severely weakened the fledging Vietnamese revolutionary movement and hampered its ability to undermine French rule.
. Since 1884, Vietnam had been a colony of France, and along with Laos
and Cambodia
, was part of French Indochina. Under the direction of Bazin, Vietnamese foremen were hired to recruit Vietnamese labourers to work on plantations. In some cases, the hired workforce would be utilised in southern Vietnam, which the French ruled as the colony of Cochinchina
. Others were sent to distant French colonies such as the New Hebrides. The working conditions in which the Vietnamese were placed generated indignation. The methods of recruitment often included beating or coercion, as the foreman received a commission for each recruit. The living conditions were poor and the remuneration was low. Among the Vietnamese population, perception was that those recruited would never set eyes on their homeland again. The French colonial authorities refused to intervene, claiming on the one hand that recruitment "had no official character" and on the other hand that recruitment was beneficial to the Vietnamese, since it eased the population pressure on the crowded Red River Delta
in northern Vietnam.
. Having been turned down by the VNQDD leaders, one of the proposers of the assassination, whose membership or lack thereof is unclear, created his own plot. With the help of an accomplice, he shot and killed Bazin as he was leaving the home of his mistress
on February 9, 1929. It was the first major attack by the VNQDD.
The pressure under which the VNQDD was placed eventually led it to engage in overt violent struggle. This culminated in the Yen Bai mutiny
of 1930, which resulted in a large section of the party being executed by the French authorities, decapacitating it as a major threat to the colonial order.
Hanoi
Hanoi , is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. Its population in 2009 was estimated at 2.6 million for urban districts, 6.5 million for the metropolitan jurisdiction. From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam...
, on February 9, 1929, marked a turning point and the beginning of the demise of the Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng
Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang
The Việt Nam Quốc Dân Đảng , also known as the Việt Quốc and the Vietnamese Kuomintang, is the Vietnamese Nationalist Party, a revolutionary socialist political party that sought independence from French colonial rule in Vietnam during the early 20th century...
(VNQDD), the Vietnamese Nationalist Party, which perpetrated the killing. The resulting French retribution severely weakened the fledging Vietnamese revolutionary movement and hampered its ability to undermine French rule.
Biography
Hervé Bazin was a graduate of the École coloniale in Paris, and was a supervisor of labour recruitment in French IndochinaFrench Indochina
French Indochina was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin , Annam , and Cochinchina , as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887....
. Since 1884, Vietnam had been a colony of France, and along with Laos
Laos
Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...
and Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, was part of French Indochina. Under the direction of Bazin, Vietnamese foremen were hired to recruit Vietnamese labourers to work on plantations. In some cases, the hired workforce would be utilised in southern Vietnam, which the French ruled as the colony of Cochinchina
Cochinchina
Cochinchina is a region encompassing the southern third of Vietnam whose principal city is Saigon. It was a French colony from 1862 to 1954. The later state of South Vietnam was created in 1954 by combining Cochinchina with southern Annam. In Vietnamese, the region is called Nam Bộ...
. Others were sent to distant French colonies such as the New Hebrides. The working conditions in which the Vietnamese were placed generated indignation. The methods of recruitment often included beating or coercion, as the foreman received a commission for each recruit. The living conditions were poor and the remuneration was low. Among the Vietnamese population, perception was that those recruited would never set eyes on their homeland again. The French colonial authorities refused to intervene, claiming on the one hand that recruitment "had no official character" and on the other hand that recruitment was beneficial to the Vietnamese, since it eased the population pressure on the crowded Red River Delta
Red River Delta
The Red River Delta is the flat plain formed by the Red River and its distributaries joining in the Thai Binh River in northern Vietnam. The delta measuring some 15,000 square km is well protected by a network of dikes. It is an agriculturally rich area and densely populated...
in northern Vietnam.
Death
In response, the hatred of Bazin among Vietnamese led to thoughts of an assassination. A group of workers approached the VNQDD, which had then been existence for two years, to suggest a revenge killing of Bazin. Nguyễn Thái Học, the leader of the VNQDD felt that assassinations were pointless and that it would only prompt a crackdown by the French Sûreté générale, thereby weakening the party. He felt that it was better to strengthen for an overthrow of the French, whereas he viewed Bazin merely as a twigTwig
A twig is a small thin terminal branch of a woody plant. Twigs are critically important in identification of trees, shrubs and vines, especially in wintertime. The buds on the twig are an important diagnostic characteristic, as are the abscission scars where the leaves have fallen away...
. Having been turned down by the VNQDD leaders, one of the proposers of the assassination, whose membership or lack thereof is unclear, created his own plot. With the help of an accomplice, he shot and killed Bazin as he was leaving the home of his mistress
Mistress (lover)
A mistress is a long-term female lover and companion who is not married to her partner; the term is used especially when her partner is married. The relationship generally is stable and at least semi-permanent; however, the couple does not live together openly. Also the relationship is usually,...
on February 9, 1929. It was the first major attack by the VNQDD.
French reaction
The French authorities reacted by apprehending all known members of the VNQDD that they could track down, including a young naturalised Frenchman named Leon Sanh. Sanh confessed to the crime, but he later retracted it, claiming only to be a bystander. He later implicated an alleged accomplice, Nguyen Van Vien. Vien was then captured and died in prison. The sources disagree, but between three and four hundred men were rounded up. Of those seized, 36 were government clerks, 13 were officials in the French government, 36 were schoolteachers, 39 were merchants, 37 were landowners and 40 were military personnel. Eventually 78 men were convicted and sentenced to between five and twenty years in prison. Leon Sanh himself was acquitted. As a result of the arrests, the VNQDD leadership was severely depleted. Most of the Central Committee were captured, and Hoc and Nguyen Khac Nhu were among the few who managed to escape from the hideout at the Vietnam Hotel.The pressure under which the VNQDD was placed eventually led it to engage in overt violent struggle. This culminated in the Yen Bai mutiny
Yen Bai mutiny
The Yên Bái mutiny was an uprising of Vietnamese soldiers in the French colonial army on 10 February 1930 in collaboration with civilian supporters who were members of the Viet Nam Quoc Dan Dang ....
of 1930, which resulted in a large section of the party being executed by the French authorities, decapacitating it as a major threat to the colonial order.