The discourse of commercial compettion in the Cong Luan newpaper by Vietnamese in Cochinchine

Abstract

This study examines a selection of articles published in the Cong Luan newspaper during the 1920s using a historical approach combined with discourse analysis. Thereby, it clarifies the role of Cong Luan in promoting the spirit of economic competition and in shaping a sense of national economic consciousness among the Vietnamese. The study highlights Cong Luan's significant contribution to promoting the spirit of economic competition and cultivating a sense of national economic consciousness among the Vietnamese. By criticizing the traditional mindset of “honoring agriculture while belittling commerce,” Cong Luan exposed socio-economic stagnation; dependency in consumption habits, and a lack of entrepreneurial spirit. Simultaneously, it actively encouraged the use of domestic products, industrial and agricultural development, and the organization of economic associations to support local businesses. Through persuasive rhetoric and comparative reasoning, the newspaper reframed wealth accumulation as a patriotic act and positioned economic activity as a vital front in the nation’s struggle for renewal. The Cong Luan newspaper significantly contributed to shaping the ideological groundwork for the nationalist-democratic movements that emerged among the Vietnamese in Cochinchina during the early twentieth century.