Transportation System in the Southeast before the French Colonation

Before the French arrived, road traffic in the Southeast was still very backward, mainly on village roads. The road routes formed during the Nguyen Dynasty not only served travel needs, but the connected roads also created favorable conditions for the development of economic, cultural and social activities. However, transportation under the Nguyen Dynasty at the end of the 19th century in Cochinchina in general and the Southeast region in particular was still based on waterways (river and sea). Transporting large tonnage goods is only carried out by river and sea. Roads, mainly village roads, became the main roads for moving from one village to another. In some regions, these roads are built on sections between rice fields. This causes a major obstacle to trade, cultural, diplomatic, security and defense exchanges.