Bạch Mã: History and Archaeology at a French Colonial Hill Station, Central Vietnam, 1930-1991

Abstract

Bạch Mã Hill Station was a French mountain resort, built on top of Bạch Mã Mountain in Central Vietnam between 1932 and 1945. Bạch Mã was one of seven similar sites in Indochina intended to provide a cool mountain retreat for the French expatriate population, in this case, of Huế. Hill stations throughout Asia became symbols of European colonialism in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In the postcolonial period, Bạch Mã continued to be represented in significant historical developments that have shaped Central Vietnam at the beginning of the twenty-first century. Through an examination of the archaeological fabric of the hill station in the context of the historical period in which it developed, this study addresses four issues related to colonial occupation and the postcolonial experience in Central Vietnam. The study examines the broader historical context that influenced Central Vietnam, and the development of Bạch Mã, in the first part of the twentieth century. The 1930s was a turning point for French colonialism in Indochina and for the Vietnamese nationalist movement. From 1940 to 1945, Indochina was occupied by the Japanese and was an important base for their war against the allies in the Pacific. The pro-Vichy colonial government of French Indochina was the only European administration retained under Japanese occupation in Southeast Asia during World War II. This study relates the character of Bạch Mã to the changing political environment in Indochina and suggests that hill stations represented more than a holiday retreat for the colonial elite.