The Population of Indochina 9789814376419

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FOREWORD Southeast Asia ' s population has already passed the 300 million mark and is expected to increase to some Yet demographic 500 million by the end of this century . studies of it have been relatively few and far in between , partly perhaps on account of dearth of trained demographers and the uneven quality and coverage of the comparatively little demographic data that are available . This is particularly so 1n the case of the Indochinese states where the ravages of long- drawn out wars have compounded the usual problems of demographic analysis in the region . In the circumstances Miss Ng Shui Meng's attempt to come to some understanding of the broad population trends in Furthermore, let's Indochina is all the more welcome. hope that her efforts will stimulate further demographic analys1s not only in Indochina but in the rest of In the meantime, while wishing Southeast Asia as well Miss Ng Shui Meng all the best , it is clearly understood that respons1b1lity for facts and opinions expressed 1n the work that follows rests exclus1vely with Miss Ng Shui Meng, and her interpretations do not necessar1ly reflect the views or policy of the Institute itself or its supporters. 24 June 1974

..

Kernial S1ngh Sandhu Director

- ii -

Acknowledgements ~n

I wish to thank the following who have helped me this study :

Professor Gayl D. Ness for his advice and constant encouragement in the writing of my sociology practicum as partial fulfilment of the degree of M.A . in Sociology. The present study is an outgrowth of the practicum . Professor John K. Whitmore for his guidance in my work on Vietnam during my academic programme at the University of Michigan. Professor K. S. Sandhu , Director of !SEAS , for his comments and suggestions .

- iii -

CONTENTS Page Foreword Acknowlegements List of Tables List of Diagrams

i

ii v

viii

GENERAL PROBLEMS AND GEOGRAPHICAL SETTING

1

General Problems

1

Source Materials

3

Geographical Setting

5

The Peoples

8

II

POPULATION IN THE ANCIENT KINGDOMS

9

III

THE COLONIAL PERIOD

14

Distribution and Density

18

I

Tonkin

19

Ann am

20

Cochinchina

21

Cambodia

21

Laos

22

Population Growth

23

Cochinchina

29

Ann am

32

Tonkin

33

Ca.Jnboqia

35

Laos

35

Growth of Urban Population

36

Alien Population

45

- iv Page IV

THE POST-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD

52

Population Size and Density

52

Population Growth and Vital Rates

54

Pattern of Growth, 1955-1972

57

Reasons for Pattern of Growth

59

Democratic Republic of Vietnam

62 66 72

Laos

75

Khmer Republic Republic of Vietnam

Age-Sex Structure

77

Khmer Republic

81

Laos

86

Democratic Republic of Vietnam

88

Republic of Vietnam

89

Urbanization

89

Khmer Republic Phnom Penh

91 94

Laos

95

Republic of Vietnam Saigon Danang Hue

98 99 105 l OS

Democratic Republic of Vietnam Hanoi Haiphong

106 10 6 107

Conclusion

108

Notes

110

Bibliography.

12 2

- v -

LIST OF TABLES Page ·r·~ 2 , COJ

3 , 500,CfX)

17.2

Indcllesia

1930

60,412 , 962

1,233 , 214

2.0

77 ,654 , 500*'*

3 1 CX::0 1XD

3. 9

VietnCI'!l

1937

18, 972,0CO

217 loco

1.1

26 ,nJ,CXX)

11 500 ,.(XX)

5.7

eant>od:ia

1937

31046 , 0CO

106,0CO

3.5

5 I 728 17Trt

163 ,0CO

2.8

laOS

1937

l,Ol2 1

3,

1.4

Bw:ma

1931

14,6671146

193 , 594

1.3

19 , 434,CXX>

388 ,CXX>

2.0

Phi1]ppines

1948

1912341 182

12 11~

0.6

21 1849 ,CXX>

~ , ax>

1.4

Source: Notes :

476 1582*

Extracted fran N. "' . :.J:: an:.:'3., OVerseas Chinest~ t.n Soz.ttheast Asia - A Russian Study (Southeast Asia ProgrCI'!l, Data Paper: 45 1 CODlell lhiversity, Ithaca, New York, 1961), p . 18.

* **

O:l1y Olinese citizens boin outside the CICUltzy. Not including \Est Irian.

+ 1962 Census.

# 1958 Estimates (Estimates of Chinese PC'Ollatim fran Purcell, op. cit.

1

p. 170) •

~

(X)

- 49 -

Table 16:

Year

Prqx;>rticn of Total Orlnese Populaticn in Vietnam found in Codlinchina

Prcportion (%)

1921

61

1931

76

1936

79

1949

93

1952

90

Source:

A Study of Vi etnamese Ch1-nese Relations with Special Atr;ention to the PeP?-od 1862-1 961 (Ph . D dissertation, university of Michigan, Ann Arbor, 1962) , p . 44.

Lucng Nhi Ky, The Ch1-nese in Vie tnam:

Chinese population. This could be attributed to a number F1rst, although Tonkin and Annam were located of reasons. at greater prox1mity to China, approach from the sea, which was the commonest means of entry for the early Chinese , was difficult because of the occurrence of typhoons dur1ng paL~ Saigon which was the major port, was thus of the year . Second, the Chinese who immigrated the main place of entry. into Indochina largely took over the import-export trade or In Tonkin and Annam where V1etnamese the retail trade. settlement had a much longer history, the retail trade and other commerc1al acti vities were already firmly in the hands of the indigenous populat ion . Third, the already ex1sting high density of sett lement precluded the Chinese from obtainlng land easily for e1ther investment or These various reasons, coupled wit h the fa ct development . that the French developmental efforts were concentrated in the south, accounted for the much smaller number 0~ Chinese found in either Annam or Tonkin.94 For Indonesia as a whole, Cambodia, next to Coch1nch1na, In had the largest proportion of the total Chinese population 1921, Cambodia had 90,000 Chine se out of a total of 355,000 In 1936 there were 106 , 000 Chinese in Cambod1a out Chinese. of a total of 326,ooo.95 Th i s represented an increase of 57,000 as compared to an increase of 49,000 in Cochinchina for the same period . The large number of Ch1nese found in

- 50 -

Cambod1a was also due to the rap1d opening up of rich agricultural lands for rice cult1vat1o n in the Mekong lowlands. The number of Chinese 1n Laos was small compared to Cochinchina and Cambodia. Between 19 21 and 1936 there was Laos had been in fact a ne t loss of 3,000 Ch1n ese t n Laos. the backwaters of Indochina in terms o f economic development. The commun1cation system was poorly de veloped making movement very difficult. Moreover, the re v1ere few , if any, economic opportunities of 1nterest to the Ch1nese in Laos . Even by 1943 the Chinese population 1n Laos only increased by 1 , 000 over the 1936 figures.96 The Chinese population was highly mobile and res p onsive to economic condit1ons. The net imrnigrat1on figures b etween 1927 marked the 1927 to 1936 would illustrate this po1nt. In 1927 peak of the irnmigrat1on of Chinese t o Indoch1na. there was a net gain of 3 , 000 Chinese 1mrnigrants . The economic depression of the 1930s w1tnessed a net outflow Between 1931 and 1933 there of Chinese out of Indochina . was a net loss of 32 , 000 Ch1nese . By 1936 there was a recovery of Chinese 1mrn1gration , with a net ga1n of nearly 16 , 000 for that year.97 The early imm1grants had n o 1ntent1on of settling permanently in Indochina . As 1n the other parts of Southeast Asia, the Ch1nese immigrants had always hoped to return to their homeland when they had made enough money overseas. The early immigrants were predominantly In 1921 (not male who left their families 1n Ch1na . 1nclud1ng Annam) 65% of the Chinese were male o In 1929, a period of peak 1mmigrat1on , the percentage of males 1n Conversely in the the Chinese p opulation rose to 67% period of low immigration in 1932, 63% of the Chine se population were male.98 Th1s 1nd1 cate d that the immigrant This population was highly trans1ent and unstable populat1on became more sett led after 1945 l argely as a result of the cutting off of commun1cat1on l1nks with the homeland dur1ng the war years . Altho ugh the Chinese populat1on formed the most important allen group in the populat 1on of Indochina, it only made up less than 5% of 1ts total populationft Even 1n Cochinchina and Cambodia, the Ch1nese only made up 3 . 7% and 3 . 5 % of the total populat1on 1n 1936 respectively . In Annam , Chinese only formed about 0.2% of the total population.99 Compared to the other countr1es 1n S o uth~a st Asia , especially Singapore, Malays1a and

- 51 -

Thailand , the proportio n of Chinese in Indochin a was really rather inaiqnif icant. The other al~en group, the Indians and Pakistan is, formed no more than a handful of the populatio n. Before World War II the Indians numbered about 6,000 and were diatribu ted mainly in Cochinch ina and Cambodia ~ lOO The Indians were found mainly in Saigon and Phnom Penh where they were largely in retail trade or money-le nding business , After the World War II, it was estimate d that there were only 3, 7 47 Indians and Paki s t anis (1949) in Vietnam. lOl In the p o st- i ndepende n ce per1o d, the proport ion of alien populatio n did not inc rease beca use of restri c ted Many o f the a l iens had been naturali zed, ~igration . either voluntar ily o r by compuls1 o n and abs o rbed into the indigeno us popu l ation . The1r economic role, t h o ugh atill importan t now, wo uld dimin1sh , as the various governme nt• take steps to balance this inequali ty by favourin g the national s rather than the alien group. In aummariz inq the populati on changes during the colonial period, it could be said that the greatest change waa aeen in the growth of the po pulat1on . The rapid increase of populatio n was t he direct result of the In the case o f increaae d number of births ov e r deaths . Indochin a, imm1grat ion did n nt contribu te very much to the It was in the urban n.e t increaae througho ut this ~e r1 od . centres that the ~igrati on o f alien populati on became .oat apparent . The alien populatio n who formed a aubatan tial proportio n of the urban populati on in the major citiea and towns altered substant ially the composit ion and atructur e of the urban populati on . The growth of the urban populati o n and the introduc t i on of an alien element into the populat~ on were thus t wo ot her ~mportant effects of colonial rule . The p a ttern o f d ls t r i bution of populati on on the lands cape was als o a l t ered ~ This was promoted largely by the d~fferent~al ra te of econo mic and aocial developm ent w~thin the regi o n. The present day South Vietnam registere d this change mos t cle a rly. On the whole, Vietnam' s populat ion was mo s t affect ed by the period of French rule . Cambodia 's p o p ul at ion pattern was moderate ly changed and Laos, the count ry least affected by French economic and soc ial int erventio n, aanaged to retain 1n its populati on pattern ma ny of the pre-colo nial charac teristic s .

- 52 -

IV

THE POST-INDEPENDENCE PERIOD

The outbreak of the Second World War interrupted and upset the colonial governmental machinery. The struggle for independence and anti-French feelings ran high throughout the whole of Indochina. Neither the French nor the Japanese were able to exert complete control as the whole region was fragmented into areas controlled by competing nationalist groups. This was a period of great disturbance and turmoil especially in Vietnam where the struggle for liberation from colonial rule was most intense. Very little reliable statistics on the demography of the region are available for this period of great disturbances. The population estimates made in 1943 gave the population figure for the whole of Indochina of slightly more than 26,700,000 people. Thereafter, very little demographic information was available. It was not until after 1954 that there was slightly more information on the population of Indochina. Hence the discussion on the population pattern of the post-colonial period has to be taken up only after 1954 when the four present political units of the Khmer Republic, Laos, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam were officially created. Population Size and Density The four countries of Indochina, the Khmer Republic (Cambodia) , Laos, the Democratic Republic of Vietnam (North Vietnam) , and the Republic of Vietnam (South Vietnam) , have a current total population of about 53 million (1973 mid-year estimate)l occupying a total area of 750 , 39 4 sq. km., thus giving an average density of 70 people per sq. km. In comparison with the other Southeast Asian countries, the population density of Indochina as a whole is much higher than that of either Burma ( 4 .1-/ss . · ·. km.) or East Malaysia _(8/sq. km.) ; about equal to that of West Malaysia (69/sq. km.) and Thailand (7 5/sq. km.); and much lower than that of Indonesia (85/sq. km.) and the Philippines (130/sq. km.).2 Table 17 shows the total population and the population density of the various countries in Southeast Asia in comparison with that of Indochina . The overall density figure for the whole of Indochina does not indicate the extreme unevenness in

- 53 -

P ulaticn Size and D:ms1t of Sore Countries in Southeast Asia 1972 estimate)

Table 17:

Country

Total Populat1rn {million)

D:msity/sq. km.

Indochina

52 . 0

Burma

28.0

69 41

Malaysia (west)

10.1

69

Thculand

38. 4

75

126 .0

85

39 . 1

130

Indcnes1a Ph1~WineS

Source:

P~ulaticn

Cmmcil Publ1cat ~co, Reports on Popu ~at1-on; September 1973 , pp. 26-28

F~Ly PLann~n g ,

the a c tual distribution of the po pulat1on between the four countr~es and w1th~n the reg1 on of each 1nd1v1dual country . Table 18 shows the popu lat1 on s1ze and dens1ty in each of the f o ur countries of Indoch1na to 1llustrate th1s . P[Pilat1an Size and Density of the Four Countr1es o IndOChina (1972 estimate)

Table 18 :

Cotntry

Total

Populatirn (million) Indochina Laos

J • )

3l 5

181 ,0 35

42

14 6

24. 1

19.3

173,809

111

37. 1

23 2

22 .0

158 , 750

139

42 . 3

2L2

Iepublic of v~etnam

% D:nS1ty Total per sq km Popu'!at1nn

Calculated fran Table 20.

- 54 -

There is an exact inverse relationship between population size and the t o tal area of the four countries. The Jernoc ratic Republic of Vietnam whi c h has the smallest land area supports the largest population. It has a total population o f 22. 0 million, or nearly half (42.3') of the total populati o n o f all Indochina, distributed unevenly o ver a tota l area of 158,750 s q . km . I t s average density o f 133 perso ns per sq. km. even exc eeds that of the Philippines. Be c ause of the extreme con c entration of the rural populatio n within the limited agricultural lowlands of the Red Rive r Delta and its valleys, rural densities are comparable t o those of the mo st congested parts of the central p l ains o f Jav a. In contrast, the mount a inous coun t r y o f Lao s, with the l argest land area, supports only sli ghtly more than th ree million people. The average den sity is only about 13 perso ns per sq . km. Hiqher concentra tio ns o f people are o nly f o und in the more accessible valleys and upland pla1na. Larqe parts of the country are either too mo untainous or too malarious for settlement and seem desttned t o remain either uninhabited o r o n ly s c antily p o p ul ated i n the near future. The ~hmer Republic, with the seco nd largest land area in Indoch1na, als o h as a fairly small popul a ti on. Its 7 .6 m1llion peo ple sprearl 0'.1'3.-:- a t otal area o f 18 1, 0 35 sq . ~ 1s tdlrly low c ompare d t o the o ther So u t he ast Asian. ~ o untr1es (refer t o Tab l e J7 ) . The population of the Republic of Vietnam is increasing rap1dly. It has a population of 19.3 mil l i o n which is only about 2 m1llion less than that of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam. The Republic of Vietnam has always had a smaller population than its nort hern counterpart wh 1c h h as had a muc h longer period of settlement. Eopulation Growth and Vital Rates The population of Indochina has exper i enc ed an -..:. ·• .:.cc: ~ :1 l ed rate of qrowth in the de c a de between l 9S5-l965, and there is no indication that the growth w1 l l decline substantially in the near fut u re. Table 20 shows the population and the annual rata o f growth fran 1955 ~o 1972. The average annual qrowt h ra t e for the whole period for Indochina as a whole is abo ve 3\. This hlgh rate of 9rowth, ~lyinq a doubl1nq o f the population a bout every 23 yeara, ~ siailar to that found in many of

- 55 -

the leas economicall y developed nations over the past

decade. Table 19 shows that this rate of growth is matched by others in Southeast Asia. Table 19: Estimated Rate o~latim Increase in Sate Scratic Republic o f VietnCill.

25.6

23.4

21.8

- 64 -

Table 24:

Average Crude Birth and

Country

Year

~ath

Rates and Life E}{fectancy

Crude Birth Rate

Crude

1965-70 1962+

44.6 50.0

15.6

127.0

19 . 7

127.0

Laos

1965-70

42 . 1

17 . 2

47 < 5

Democratic Republic of Vi etnam

1965-70

37.5

16.1

50.0

Republic of Vietnam

1965- 70

37.5

16.1

~ath

Rate

Infant Life Mortality Expectancy Rate* (Years)

Khmer

Republic

42 . 8

Source:

U.N . Demographi c Yearbook 1971 , pp. 127-128.

Notes :

+

*

1962 Census. For the Khmer Republic:

42.2 42.7

50.0

1959 estimate.

Republic actually has a very small population in relation to its size . In a country where resources are l~mited and and many development projects await urgent attention , it ~s not surprising that population co2trol does not feature as a matter of urgent consideration , The Mekong lowlands have a potential to support a muc h larger population than its present 7.6 million people . Population pressure on the land is still not great & Table 26 illustrates this point fairly clearly . It shows t he nutrition density (here defined as the number of people on the available paddy land) of th e four c o untries in In do china. In countries where the m~ j o r l t y of the population ~s dependent on agriculture for subs i ste n ce , the nutrit~on density is a much r:te>x-~ u s e f ul ne a sure o£ t~e ~Jotenf:ial carr~r in g capacity o f the land. From Table 26 it ~s clear that the Khmer Republic has a much lower nutrition density than e~ ther the ROV or the DRV . A nutrition dens~ty of 4 . 3 p eople per hectare is much lower than that found ~n the To nkin Delta in 1931.5

- 65 -

CrOOe Birth and Death Rates in SaTe IJ::M Ina:.me Countries (GNP Less than US$250, 1968-1969) , 1970

Table 25 :

0:>\.l'ltcy

CNP (lE$)

Crude

Crude

(per capita)

Birth Rate

Rate

~ath

Africa

Kenya Tanzania Uganda

127 67 108

50

48 50

17 23 18

Asia India Indcnesia 11'\ailand

77 93 162

4(}-: ! 41

15-20 18-21 11

181 232 243

44 45-48 49

19 ll-13 17

¥'-l S

Latin Anerica Bolivia Ecuador Hmduras Source:

Popu1aticn Council Pub1lcaticn, Hep(' r : s on PopuLo .': · ..... ·' Fami Ly PLann i ng, September 1972, pp. 21-27.

Table 26:

Nutriticn Density of InOOchina ,

l ~ bl

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -- -. -·- - -Pers an 590,011 86/100 39.8

1.9 102 . 4

An

Diagrlln 3:

Sex Structu re of the Rural and urban Pcpulat ion

o cambOdia, 1962

590 , 011

Total Urban Populat ion: MME

65+

I l

I

I

I

ll

~0-64

l

55-59 50-54

1

I

FDfAIE

I

l

45-49

l

40-44 35-39

1

30-34

I

I I

25-29 20-24 15-19

I

I

5-9

l

0-4

8

1,0

I

10-14

6

2

0

0

2

4

'

8

% 6

4

10

Per cent of Total Urban Popula tlm

Total Rural Popula ticn:

l

Mli.IE

5 ,138, 760

J

65+

l ~0-64 I I ~ 5-59 I 1 50-54 l

J I I

I

I

45-49 40-44

FEMALE

J l

35- 39 30-34

I

20-24 15-19

I

1

I I

25-29

I

l

I

10-14

l I

I

5-9

J

0-4

I

-· ~--~--._--~-------' ~~--~--~--~--~10 8

10

8

6

'

4

2

0

0

2

4 % 6

Per ce1t of Total Rural Pcpulat ion

Source:

1962 Census.

-

86 -

Two main f e a t ure s stand out rather clearly in the rural urban differentials i n the age-sex structure . First, the proportion of y o ung people (15 - 39) is larger in the urban areas, whe r eas t he proportion of very old people (65+) is much larger in t he rural areas. Thus the dependency rati o tends to be in f avour of the urban areas. The difference in t h e sex rat~o also indicates that a l a rger number of males than female s are found in t h e urb an a reas. Rura l urban migr ation i s a selective process. It generally involve s t he movement of the younger people see k ing employment and t ends t o be more male-oriented. The f e mal~ a n d the o lder people usually remain behind the rural areas to tend t h e f i elds . Lao s Unfo rtunately no breakdown of age and sex distribution obtainab l e for the population of Laos . Using the United Nat i o ns projections based on conserv ative estimates, an age -se x structure for the population of Laos (1960) is shown in Diag ram 4.34 As the data are based on projections 1 one has to be rather careful when interpreting them. One conso l ~ ng factor is that many demographers believe that the popu l ation of Laos is a slow gr ow ing one which has been fairly stab le . I f the assumption made were correct , then the age -sex structure based on projected data would be fa~rly reliable. The projected data for 1970 are not used in the analysis of the age -se x structure as I suspect the esc a lat ~on o f bomb~ng and increased mil~tary activities s ince t he middle of the 1960s have affected the age-sex struct ure of the population. ~s

Th e age-sex structure of Laos as shown in the diagram i s a typical example of a population of a developing country The shape of the pyramid, like that of the Khmer Republic , is t hat o f a y oung population . In 1960 , the proportion of pe o p l e u nder 15 years was 41.1 %, but by 1970 the estimated figure wa s 42 . 6%. The very broad base of the pyramid aga i n ~ llu st r at e s h~gh b1rth rates, but the rapid tapering of the py r amid a l so sugge sts t h at h~gh birth rate is a recent phenomenon . Like all the other c ountries 1n Indochina the pro p o rtion o f people over 55 years of age make up less than 10 %, and that o f pe o ple mo re than 6 5 years , n o mo re than 3% o f the tot al p o pu lat ion . The se x ratio of the p o pulat i o n o f Lao s, like that of the Khme r Repub l ~c , i s fair l y b a l an c e d .. The 1960 est~mate was 102 .8 , thus s lightly h igher t h an t hat o f the Khmer

- 87 -

Diagram 4:

Age-Sex Structure of ·Laos , 1960 Total Population:

l 65+ I 1 60- 64 I 1 55- 59 I

MALE

1

I 10

8

..

1

I

l

I

I

I

1 , 566,CXX) (U.N. Projections)

I

I

I

50- 54

FEM\IE

I

I

45- 49 40- 44 135- 39 30-34 25- 29

I I

1

I

20- 24

I

15- 19

I I

10-14 5- 9

I I

o- 4 6

4

%

2

0

0

2

4

6

8

10

%

Source:

The Population of Southeast Asi a, (i ncluding Ceylon and Taiwan ) , 1950- 1980 , p. 117 .

Note

Data based en U.N. Projections (Conservative Estimates).

:

-

88 -

Republic (101 . 8). Like that of the Khmer Republic , the fairly balanced sex ratio is an indication of a relat1vely stable population which had been free from large scale m1grat1ons of any kind. The pattern might have changed somewhat now. Increased bombing and mil1tary a ct1vities have affected a large section of the populat1on, but the actual extent and the effect of these activ1t1es on the age-sex structure is still not clear. Vietnam Ne1ther North nor South Vietnam has deta1led informat1on on age-sex distribution of the population . Hence no more than very general statements can be made about the age-sex structure of the populati on. The Democratic Republic of Vietnam The 1960 Census indicated that the Democrat1c Republ1c of Vietnam , like the other countr1es ~n Southeast As1a had a very young population The proport1on of people under 15 was 42 .8%35 t see Table 32). The estimate of the proportion of people over 55 was also comparable to that of the other Indochinese countr1es. The proport1on of people over 55 (8.2 %)36 1s sl1ghtly higher than that of the other countries of Indoch1na The sex rat1o of DRV is rather unbalanced compared to that of Laos and the Khmer Republlc. In 1960, the est1mated sex rat1o was only 93.4.37 The much smaller proportion of males in the populatlon reflects the effects of the two wars; the Second World War and the F1rst Indoch1nese War , which must have taken a fa1rly heavy toll on the male population . Moreover, the period of 1960, though still relat1vely peaceful , was marked by 1ncreased preparation for m1l1tary act1v1t1es . This would probably have removed a large number of males from their homes and reduced the accuracy of publ1c demographic data , It might be speculated that the present sex ratio 1s even more unbalanced, espec1ally after the 1972 Easter offens1ve, wh1ch was supposed to have taken a very heavy toll of both the North and South V1etnamese armies .

-

89 -

The Republi'c of Vietnam The Republic of Vietnam also does not have detailed information on age-sex distribution of the whole population. The latest samp_le survey of the municipalities and the fourteen provincial capitals of the country, however , does show the breakdown of the population by age and sex. The data formed the basis· for the compilation of the age - sex pyramid shown in Diagram 5 . One should be cautioned, however, that the informat~on applies mainly to an urban population and is not representative of the whole country . Although the results are not representative of the whole country, certain interesting inferences can be drawn from the data. The results indicate that 50.7%38 of the pop ulation of the fourteen provincial capitals ?nd the municipalities 1s below 15 years of age. This figure is even higher than that of Saigon (45.2%) in 1967.39 The very large number of children in the provincial capitals and the municipalities reflects, first, the youthful character of the population , and second , an unpr0portionately large number of the age g roup 15 - 49 has probably been recruited into the army. The proportion of old people in the sample is not unlike t hat of the other three countries in Indochina. The percentage of people over 55 in 1970 was 7.3%, slightly lower than that of DRV (8.2%) . I would suspect that this is an urban- rur~l differentia l, as the population in towns tends to be more in favour of a younger population. The sex ratio in the sample is even more unbalanced than that of the Denocratic Republic. The sex ratio of 92 . 0 is the most unbalanced of all the four countries in Ind0chizna·. · li'h is should not be very surprising as the war casua~ties mus t have been high enough to make a difference . Moreover, as suggeste d e~rlie r , a large percentage of young males was probably conscripted into the army and thus not enumerated in the sample. The sex ratio f or the whole population would probably be less unbalanced than that shown in this sample . With the return of peaceful conditions and the repatriation of the men from the army, the nature of the sex ratio of the provincial towns would most likely improve . Urbanizat1on The Indochinese population is essentially rural in character and the rhythm of life is governed largely by

-90-

Di.aJram 5:

C£iSex Structure of Fopulatim ___!talS azi1 M.niclpalitles the

Total Pc.pllatial in Satple:

10

8

6

4

%

2

0

0

of 14 Provincial

1 , 5 36 , 170

2

4

6

%

Per cent of Total Pq:>ulatim of 14 Provincial Capitals and ~cipalities Source :

Viet.nl!m Statistical Yearbodc , 1.971 , p. 36 8.

8

10

- 91 -

the agri c ultural c y c le. The proces s of urbanizati o n and t he g r owth o f ur ban po pulat ion i s on the whole slow. This is refle c ted very clearly in the s et tlement pattern. The v~l lage is still the most important b asic unit of The growth of cit ies and urban s oc~ a l o rgan ization . recent phenomenon , triggered fairly a is ns agglomeratio t of colonial rule, a n d establishmen the by , first , ff o of migrants from the ~nflux large the by mo re recently o f mi gr a n t s i n cluding influx The . su r r ounding c o untrys ~ de refugees , ~nt o the urban are a s does n o t, ho wever , app ly Han o~ . i n this case exper ~e n c ed a depopulation ; to Han o~ . a pla nned s t r ategy to avo i d the bomb i ng.40 In analysing the d ata fo r urban populatio n it is useful to bear in m~nd that the cr~terion used f or def~ n ~ n g "urban" is highly arb~trary and shows n o Very often it cons~ s te n cy amon g the four co untries. a reas for marcate de o t rm te ~s J USt a convenient adm~n~strat~ve purpo ses . Gener al ly speaking, no mo r e than 1 0 - 15~ of the popul at~ on o f Indoc h~na, with the e x cept~on of the Republ~c o f V ~etnam , c an be classified as urb an. Table 38 shows the percentage of urban population 1n In doch 1n a as defined by offic~al reports and estimates . Th e d a t a s ho u ld be viewed o n ly a s a rough gu~de to the t ren d a n d ex t ent o f urban1zat~ o n in the Indochinese countr1es . A comparat1ve study o f t he f~gures , though use f u l , should be carried out wit h the kn o wle dge that th e cr~ter~on for the def1 n i t1 o n o f the t erm "urban" varies from coun t r y to coun try . I t is perhaps more useful if a common criterion for "urban" ~ s used for com parat ~ve purposes . Th~ s is done ~ n Table 39 , where towns of s~ze 10 , 000 o r more a r e used as the c u t - o ff p o ~nt for t he Khmer Republi c , Lao s Unfortunatel y n o d a ta on and t h e Republ 1 c o f V1etnam. town s1 ze are ava1l a b le for the Demo c rat~c Repub lic of V1etnam The Khmer Republ1 c The Khmer Republic has only ab o ut 10% of the populati o n l iv1ng 1n urb a n ce ntres a cco r d ing to t he 1962 c ensus . Eve n us1 n g t o wn s 1 z e of 10 , 000 or mo re as the cut-of f po 1nt , th e d1fferen c e 1s o n ly one pe r ce nt. Th 1s 1~ L _ r.~u s e mo st of the pro v1n c 1a l ca p1 tals range 1n s1z e between 7 , 000-10,000 . Bes1des the se provincial cap1ta l s the r e are no other urban

- 92 -

Table 38:

Percentage Uman Population

Country

Year

Ilcme Demogra ph ique en InJo cht n e ," nt?V !A e ln dOid ,

1

pp . 156-157.

27

Ibid.

I

p . 156 .

28

Eri c Pietrunton i 1 " La Population du Laos en 1943 dans s o n t1i.l j eu Geographique 1 " Bulle ti n de La Societe des E t, td ,u: Indo c h in o i B e s , XXX I I ( 19 57) , p . 2 2 5 .

29

Joel M. Halpern , Geog rap hic ~ Demo gr aphic and Ethnic Backgr ound on Laos (Laos Project Paper No . 4, Los Angeles, Un1ve rsity o f Ca l ifo rnia, Department of Anthropol o gy I 1961) I p. 4.

30

Loa. cit.

31

Ibid .

32

Gourou 1 LeH Pays ans du Delt a To nk inois , op .ci t . pp . 1 4 3-14 4.

33

Smols k i

34

Kherian 1 op . cit ., p. 18 .

35

Smolski 1 o p. a;:t .

36

Ibid.

37

Bun le 1 o p. air,. , p. 6 7 8 .

38

Srnolski 1 op. cit .

39

Ibid.

40

41

I

I

p. 5 .

1

op . cit .

1

1

p. 60.

p. 63.

p. 67 .

1

p . 62 .

Srnolski, op . a1:t .

1

p . GS .

Population In c!