THU DAU MOT – Cochinchina
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MARCEL BERNANOISE1
I. Physical Geography
SITUATION
The province of Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] extends from the south-west to the north-east to a length of 150 kilometers, and a width varying between 20 to 30 km. It is bounded on the north by Cambodia, on the east by the province of Bienhoa [Biên Hoà], on the south by the province of Giadinh [Gia Định] and on the west by those of Giadinh [Gia Định] and Tayninh [Tây Ninh].
GEOLOGY
Conform with all the territories of Lower Cochin-China, the southern part of the province is of alluvial soil suited for any cultivation. The more one mounts upwards towards the north and north-east, the soil becomes more compact, more clayey, with numerous levels. Some beds of China-clay and even some granit quarries towards the Wall of Lap Vo exist in the west of the province. More to the north, very fertile red soil is found, excellent for the cultivation of hevea, coffee, vanilla and oil palms. Two rivers bound the province of Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một]: 1. In the east the Song Be [Sông Bé], which separates it from the province of Bienhoa [Biên Hoà] along a length of about 100 km; 2. In the south and west, the Saigon [Sài Gòn] river, which separates it from Tayninh [Tây Ninh] and from Giadinh [Gia Định] for about 200 km.
CLIMATE
The climate of the province of Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] in the south is similar to that of Lower Cochin-China with its two distinct seasons. The commencement and end of the rainy seasons are marked by frequent and very violent thunderstorms. In the territories of Budop [Bù Đốp], a forest region and more elevated, the heat is less intense, and during the months of December and January the thermometer rarely rises to more than 22 degrees centigrade.
II. Administrative Geography
GENERAL ADMINISTRATION
The province is governed by a civil administrator residing in the chief town, who controls the whole of the administrative staff.
LAW
All legal matters which are not dealt with by the ordinary police under the presidency of the chief administrator of the province, are referred to the Public Prosecutor at Bienhoa [Biên Hoà], where there is a court of justice with wide powers.
THE PENITENTIAL COLONY AT ONG YEM
This establishment, under the direction of a European superintendent, assisted by native agents, takes charge of condamned minors and morally abandoned children. They are employed in manual labour and in the up-keep of hevea plantations belonging to the province.
ARMY
In Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] is quartered the 2nd battalion of Annamite sharp-shooters.
MEDICAL DEPARTMENT
In the chief town there is a hospital under the direction of a European doctor, assisted by a native auxiliary doctor and six hospital attendants. Important improvements are made yearly to the medical services. The hospital includes rooms for poor patients, as well as separate rooms, containing more modern equipment, for which fees are charged. Honquan [Hớn Quản] has an ambulance in the care of a native doctor. Nine mid-wives are employed, partly in the hospital, partly in maternity-homes in the chief inland centres. Frequent vaccination tours are undertaken by the native doctor. A medical service has been organised with free infirmaries in the large plantations in the north of the province. In case of serious illness, however, planters send their coolies to the hospital in the chief town.
PUBLIC EDUCATION
There are 87 native instructors or monitors, under the direction of a French professor. There are actually 3 primary schools, 13 cantonal schools and 25 communal schools.
– The native school for artisans is intended to educate workmen and foremen for the factories. They are taught by Annamite foremen under the direction of a French inspector. The school includes a foundry section, one for embossing, a section for carpentry and one for carving.
– A college of agriculture under the direction of an engineer of agriculture, has been established at Bencat [Bến Cát], 25 kilometers from the chief town.
DEPARTMENT OF FORESTRY
The forest district of Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] is divided into 6 districts, under a general supervisor, chief of the district. The chiefs of the districts are aided by native supervisors. This organisation covers the forest estates with a network of well spread out-posts and has created a forest reserve, replacing the former indiscriminate exploitation, by a methotdieal and rational use of trees. There exist to-day in the province 26 forest reserves, covering 65.196 hectares. 21 of these reserves, representing a surface of 46.800 hectares, have been surveyed and the boundaries registered.
POST AND TELEGRAPH
The chief post office is in the chief town with a complete postal service, and secondary offices are situated at Laithieu [Lái Thiêu], Bencat [Bến Cát], Honquan [Hớn Quản], Locninh [Lộc Ninh] and Budop [Bù Đốp].
POPULATION
The province of Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] has a population of about 128.000. Roughly one can calculate on 110.000 Annamites, 3.435 Chinese or Minh Huong [Minh Hương], 2.469 Cambodians, 475 Javanese in the rubber plantations, 11.000 Mois and 85 Europeans, civil servants, or settlers.
III. Economic Geography
AGRICULTURE
The province of Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] permits every kind of agriculture.
COMMERCE
Commercial activity is still very undeveloped in the province:
a) Imports are limited to rice and paddy, the actual production of which is not even sufficient for native requirements, as well as to other alimentary commodities and Chinese tobacco;
b) Exports consist of fruit, tobaco, sugar, nuts, furniture, pottery, painted glass, timber for building and heating, laterites and hides. The furniture manufactured in the province is very much sought after by the Annamites of Saigon [Sài Gòn] and the west. The pottery is highly appreciated on account of its cheapness. The saw-mills of Giadinh [Gia Định] and Saigon [Sài Gòn] and Cho Lon [Chợ Lớn] draw most of their supply of timber for building purposes from the centre and the north of the province. Wood for heating purposes is sent to Saigon [Sài Gòn], as well as to the central provinces. The quarries of An Thanh Tay [An Thạnh Tây] and of Bensuc [Bến Sức] supply annually millions of cubic-meters of laterite; the central province as well as those of the west supply stone for paving the roads.
INDUSTRY
The province of Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] is mainly agricultural, yet the small industries she possesses represent a fairly important turnover. There are three rice-mills in Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một], worked by electricity, one is situated at Laithieu [Lái Thiêu], and two at Phucuong [Phú Cường]. Each mill turns out on an average 12.000 kilos of white rice daily. Placed in order of importance, the other industries are: Cabinet making, sugar refineries, potteries, forges, jewellery, glass painting, brick kilns, dye-works, silks, lime kilns.
HUNTING
In the central and northern forests are found partridges and wild fowl, pheasants, hares, agouti, pigs, pangolin, several species of monkeys, fallow-deerand stags, moose-deer, wilds boar and wild oxen, as well as panthers, tigers and wolves. Natives of the higher regions are passionately fond of stag hunting, and snaring deer. Among the reptiles are found: cobra, trigonocephalea pythons, boa constrictor and eoral snakes.
FISHING
In Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một], as in fact all over Cochin-China, river fishing is one of the chief resources of the people. Rivers, swamps, ponds are thoroughly explored by them. The fishing tackle used by them is very varied and consists of fish-hooks, nets, sieves and various string and threads.
FLORA
There is avast field to be explored by the collector of orchids, ferns, eyeas, and bulbous plants are found practically everywhere and in great variety.
SIGHT-SEEING
Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] 30 km, from Saigon [Sài Gòn], is the traditional promenade for the inhabitants of the capital. The colonial road N° 13 is excellently kept and passes through Giadinh [Gia Định]. Laithieu [Lái Thiêu] and Bung [Bưng], and after crossing several picturesque dales, reaches the market place in the chief town, facing the town-hall. Every Sunday, sportsmen returning from hunting in the forests meet at the renowned bungalow hotel, situated on the bank of the Saigon [Sài Gòn] river. Continuing in a northerly direction, the lower road to Beneat, passing the penitentiary and the agricultural school of Ong-Yem [Ông Dèm], and after traversing the forests in the direction of Chonthanh [Chơn Thành], reaches the plateau of Honquan [Hớn Quản], where the hevea plantations are, towards Locninh [Lộc Ninh] and the frontier of Cambodia, a distance of 153 km. From thence, towards Kratie, the route is only practicable in the dry season. The journey to Saigon Saigon [Sài Gòn] – Honquan [Hớn Quản] and on to the frontier is quickly covered in motor cars. There is a picturesque ronte from Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một] to Bienhoa [Biên Hoà], 31 km. Motor ears can be hired at Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một], enabling one to visit, in an agreeable manner and in a very short time, one of the finest spots in Cochin-China. 3 km from Thudaumot [Thủ Dầu Một], by a raeh which falls into the Saigon [Sài Gòn] river, is the curious Balua [Bà Lụa] pagoda, famous for its interior decoration. The old tombs of the mandarins, north of the town, on the way to Honquan [Hớn Quản] are also worth visiting.
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
◊ BIEN HOA – La Cochinchine
◊ THU DAU MOT – La Cochinchine
◊ MY THO – La Cochinchine
◊ TAN AN – La Cochinchine
◊ COCHINCHINA