BIEN HOA – Cochinchina

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MARCEL BERNANOISE¹

I. Physical Geography

SITUATION

     The province of Bienhoa [Biên Hoà] is bounded on the north by the kingdom of Cambodia, on the south-east and west, by the provinces of Baria  [Bà Rịa] and Giadinh [Gia Định], on the east, by the Annamite empire, and on the west, by the provinces of Thudaumot [Thủ Đầu Một] and Giadinh [Gia Định]. It has a length of 110 km and a width of 90 km. In the north-west and south-west of Bienhoa [Biên Hoà] the soil is composed of grey earth, of a sandy gravel sub-soil, and in the north-east and east-south-east it is reddish in colour (ferruginous clay- argillous). The most important river is the Dong Nai [Đồng Nai], whose source is to the north of the plateau of Lang Biang [Liang Biang] (Annam [An Nam]). After traversing the independent territory of the Mois and the dense forests, and having formed several impassable falls, it penetrates into Cochin-China by the Mois canton of Binh Tuy [Bình Tuy] (Bienhoa [Biên Hoà]).

ROADS OF COMMUNICATIONS

    Besides the waterways, the province of Bienhoa [Biên Hoà] has an extended network of routes, providing easy means of communication between the various provinces of the Colony, as well as with the various localities of the province. There is also a railway line from Saigon [Sài Gòn] to Phanthiet [Phan Thiết] which crosses the whole length of the province, a distance of more than 100km.

INTERESTING SIGHTS – ARGHAELOGICAL CURIOSITIES

    With its beautiful scenery, its forests full of game, the province of Bienhoa [Biên Hoà] is of extreme interest to tourists and sportsmen. The principal excursions are: The falls of Trian [Trị An] (35 km from the chief town and 65 km from Saigon [Sài Gòn]), where a rest- house has been erected, under the care and at the cost of the province. The sporting and hunting centres are: In the east, the Xuanloc [Xuân Lộc] districts of Nui Chuachan [Núi Chứa Chan], the savannahs of the Lagna [La Ngà], in the north-west at An Binh [An Bình] and its environs.

II. Administrative Geography

    The province comprises to Annamite cantons, subdivided into 115 villages, and 7 Mois cantons having 45 villages. The population of 132000 inhabitants comprises 125 Europeans, 116000 Annamites, 11500 Mois, 2000 Chinese etc.

BIEN HOA

    The chief town of the province, 30 km from Saigon [Sài Gòn], on the right bank of the river Donai [Đồng Nai]. All branches of the administrative service are here represented. It has a court of justice with wide powers. A company of sharpshooters are here in garrison, and the second squadron of the Indo- Chinese Air Service is quartered in Binh Thanh [Bình Thạnh] since 1923.

III. Economical Geography

AGRICULTURE, RICE

    It has already been mentioned that the soil of Bienhoa [Biên Hoà] is not very suitable for rice cultivation. Only about 30000 hectares of land are in use for riee-fields. The province of Bienhoa with its extensive area of very fertile red soil, will, in a few years, lead in the cultivation of the hevea plant for rubber production. Over 32000 hectares have been conceded to companies of hevea planters. The actual area planted is over 8500 hectares, and the number of trees already bled or cut is estimated at 795.553. In 1924 the production of dry rubber amounted to more than 1.500 tons. The rubber crissis having passed, the companies have again turned their attention to exploiting their plantations and increasing their area and upkeep.

VARIOUS CULTIVATIONS – COCOA PLANTATIONS

    The superficial area reserved for these plantations is 1.500 hectares, of which 800 hectares are already worked.

SUGAR CANE PLANTATIONS

    These occupy about 1.100 hectares and are in the cantons of the north and west of the province.

CABBAGE PALMS

    1.700 hectares of land are under cultivation, with an annual production of 600.000 kilos. Other plantations of secondary importance are: Coffee, tobacco, pine-apples, Arachides (earth-nuts), fruit-trees and vegetables.

COMMERCE

    There is a fairly intense commercial activity in the province. Apart from the exchange of products consumed in the province, traffic in timber occupies a very important position. The forests of Bienhoa provide all the varieties of trees (trac, cam-lai, the various species of go, sao, dau etc.) and the timber is exploited by industrial societies and individuals, who make use of the metalled roads to distribute their merchandise in the other provinces of Cochin-China. Secondly, the granite and laterite quarries are of considerable commercical importance.

INDUSTRY

    The forest industry accounted, in 1923, for the following important trade: 47.000 cubic meters of fire-wood, 11.000 cubic meters of timber for construction, 5.000 cubic meters of timber for carpentry, 170 tons of charcoal, 120 tons of pyrology. A new company was recently formed, the “Indo-Chinese Forest Co.” At Song Dinh [Sông Dinh], in the eastern part of the province, near the frontier of Annam [An Nam], to exploit the timber trade, with entirely modern installations (saw-mills-steam and electric motors, “materiel Decauville”, etc.). There is a Chinese distillery at Binh Truoc. The annual output amounts to 400 to 450.000 litres of native alcohol.

NATIVE SUGAR REFINERIES

    There are 330 native refineries, which however are only in work during the sugar cane harvest season. There is a Chinese weaver in the village of Binh Truoc owning a small cotton industry with a monthly output of 3.500 meters of material. It is of common quality and is sold at Bienhoa [Biên Hoà], Saigon [Sài Gòn] and Cho Lon [Chợ Lớn]. A brush factory, belonging to M. Prevot, exists at Phuoc Ly [Phước Lý].

MEANS OF COMMUNICATION

    These also are very numerous. Besides the Saigon [Sài Gòn] – Phanthiet [Phan Thiết], which runs six times a day, there and back, there are eleven public motor car transport services. On the other hand, there are no passenger steamers in the province. Boats and barges for the transport of various products, of granite, laterite, pottery, cereals, fruit, are in use to the number of 1.700 varying in size.

IV. History

    (…) Thus Bienhoa [Biên Hoà] was conquered by the Lord of Hue [Huế] (Annam [An Nam]) Nguyen Hieu Vuong [Nguyễn Hiếu Vương], in the reign of king Le Than Ton [Lê Thánh Tôn] (1648-1663) and colonised by the inhabitants of Quang Nam [Quảng Nam], Quang Ngai [Quảng Ngãi] and Ninh Binh [Ninh Bình]. Towards 1705, this colony was increased by the arrival of Chinamen, the debris of an army under General Duong Ngan Lich [Dương Ngân Lịch]. With the aid of these important immigrants, the country was cleared and cultivated. Commerce and industry made considerable strides, and the village of Ban Lan became an important commercial centre, frequented by trading ships of various nationalities, which ascended the Dong Nai [Đồng Nai] to barter their merchandise. Bienhoa– [Tỉnh Biên Hoà] Tinh belonged to the Annamites up to the date of its occupation by the French in 1861. Under French domination, Bienhoa Tinh [Tỉnh Biên Hoà] was formed into three provinces: Baria [Bà Rịa], Bienhoa [Biên Hoà], Thudaumot [Thủ Đầu Một].

BAN TU THƯ
12 /2019

NOTE:
1: Marcel Georges Bernanoise (1884-1952) – Painter, was born in Valenciennes – the northernmost region of France. Summary of life and career:
+ 1905-1920: Working in Indochina and in charge of mission to the Governor of Indochina;
+ 1910:  Teacher at Far East School of France;
+ 1913: Studying indigenous arts and publishing a number of scholarly articles;
+ 1920: He returned to France and organized art exhibitions in Nancy (1928), Paris (1929) – landscape paintings about Lorraine, Pyrenees, Paris, Midi, Villefranche-sur-mer, Saint-Tropez, Ytalia, as well as some souvenirs from the Far East;
+ 1922:  Publishing books on Decorative Arts in Tonkin, Indochina;
+ 1925: Won a grand prize at the Colonial Exhibition in Marseille, and collaborated with the architect of Pavillon de l’Indochine to create a set of interior items;
+ 1952: Dies at age 68 and leaves a large number of paintings and photographs;
+ 2017: His painting workshop was successfully launched by his descendants.

REFERENCES:
◊ Book “LA COCHINCHINE” – Marcel Bernanoise – Hong Duc [Hồng Đức] Publishers, Hanoi, 2018.
◊  wikipedia.org
◊ Bold and italicized Vietnamese words are enclosed inside quotation marks – set by Ban Tu Thu.

SEE MORE:
◊  CHOLON – La Cochinchine – Part 1
◊  CHOLON – La Cochinchine – Part 2
◊  SAIGON – La Cochinchine
◊  GIA DINH – La Cochinchine
◊  COCHINCHINA