Modernization of Vietnamese society during the reign of Emperor Bao Dai (1925 - 1945): the problem of borrowing and assimilating elements of Western culture

This work analyzes the main stages of Vietnam's colonial dependence on France during the reign of Emperor Bao Dai (1925 - 1945), as well as innovations that appeared on the territory of Vietnam as a result of the occupation. To understand the process of Europeanization, this work describes the features of life of the Vietnamese population under the French government, the actions of the French to manage the controlled territory. To substantiate the events in Vietnam that occurred in the 1920-1940s, we studied the features of life in the colonial society of Vietnam, and also compared the policies of the French colonial administration and the Indochina Communist Party in the 1930s. All of the above predetermined the result of the study: Vietnamese culture absorbed many cultural elements borrowed from Europe, such as new literary genres or behavioral patterns atypical for Confucianism. In addition, French colonial dependence influenced changes in the population's perception of bodily culture and the formation of new styles in painting and architecture. Key words: colonial dependence, Bao Dai, European culture, French colonial administration, Communist Party of Indochina, material culture, spiritual culture.