Changes in Large Livestock Husbandry in Vietnam under French Colonial Rule

Abstract

Before the French conquest, livestock husbandry in Vietnam was primarily subsistence-oriented, with very limited innovation or transformation. However, under the impact of the large-scale colonial economic exploitation initiated from the early twentieth century, livestock production - particularly large cattle and buffalo husbandry - underwent profound changes. These transformations were manifested both in the purposes and in the methods of animal raising. They provided the fundamental basis for significant shifts in both the quantity and quality of Vietnam’s herds. By examining the developments and outcomes of large livestock husbandry from the late nineteenth century through the first half of the twentieth century, this article seeks to clarify the ways in which the sector evolved under French colonial rule. It thereby
contributes to a more systematic, comprehensive, and nuanced understanding not only of the trajectory of animal husbandry but also of the broader transformations in Vietnamese agriculture during the colonial period.