Vietnamese famine of 1944–1945

• 1. Colonial Economic Exploitation

  ›

  In 1943, the French administration in Vietnam set a compulsory price ceiling of 1.40 piastres for every 10 kilograms of rice. Farmers could not afford to buy back their own harvest when market rates soared from 2.50 to 3 piastres that same year. By June 1944, prices had climbed to between 6 and 7 piastres per 10 kilograms. The following year, the cost ballooned tenfold to reach 60 or 70 piastres. This economic policy forced rural families to sell their grain at artificially low rates while they starved. France returned to its policy of economic protectorate after the Great Depression in the 1930s. They monopolized natural resources to serve the needs of war rather than local populations. Only the French minority, a small group of Vietnamese elites, and some urban Hoa people benefited from these arrangements. Peasants were required to grow cash crops instead of lower-value agricultural produce needed for survival.

  6

• 2. Japanese Occupation Policies

  ›

  Japan entered French Indochina in September 1940 to use it as a bridge into Southeast Asia. By 1941, there were 140,000 Japanese troops stationed alongside Vichy French forces. These militaries forcibly seized food from farmers to feed their armies. Japanese troops ordered farmers to grow jute instead of rice, depriving them of essential food sources. Land previously used for staple crops like maize and potatoes was reduced to make room for cotton and other industrial plants. Crops harvested from this land were exported directly to Japan. In 1944, US bombing cut off coal supplies from the north to Saigon. The French and Japanese then burned rice and maize as fuel for power stations. Diplomat Bui Minh Dung stated that the Japanese occupation systematically played a role greater than any other factor in the starvation. Allied air strikes frequently targeted roads and warehouses, making transport from south to north extremely difficult.

  79

• 3. Natural Disasters And Infrastructure Failure

  ›

  Catastrophic rainfall struck northern Vietnam during August and September 1944. This flooding destroyed countless rice plants already weakened by drought conditions. Crop failures between 1943 and 1945 compounded these weather-related disasters. Dike maintenance had been neglected after US bombing raids damaged infrastructure in the north. Farmers could not protect their fields from rising waters without functional flood control systems. The combination of droughts, floods, and broken dike systems led to total crop loss across large areas. Northern provinces saw harvests collapse completely while populations remained dependent on those same fields. The lack of infrastructure support meant communities had no way to recover from natural shocks. These environmental factors turned economic mismanagement into a full-scale catastrophe.

  3

• 4. Death Toll Estimates And Controversy

  ›

  In May 1945, an envoy at Hanoi asked northern provinces to report their casualties. Twenty provinces responded with data showing 380,000 people starved to death. An additional 20,000 died from disease outbreaks following the famine. A French military official estimated half-a-million deaths in October 1945. Governor-General Jean Decoux wrote in his memoirs that about one million northerners had perished. Various sources estimate the final death toll ranges between 400,000 and two million people. Ho Chi Minh later quoted a figure of two million deaths in his Proclamation of Independence on the 2nd of September 1945. The North Vietnamese government claimed one to two million Vietnamese died in the Red River Delta. In 1960, Japan negotiated compensation for what they called 300,000 victims while South Vietnam insisted on one million. The final agreement settled on 14 billion 40 million yen as reparations.

  158

• 5. Political Mobilization And The Viet Minh

  ›

  The Viet Minh successfully directed public resentment toward the occupation powers during the crisis. Peasants were encouraged to seize rice granaries held by Japanese and French forces. In response, the Japanese imposed harsh punishments including physical mutilation on those who transgressed. This brutality further inflamed popular anger against the occupiers. The organization transformed itself from a guerrilla group into a mass political movement through these events. Võ An Ninh documented the suffering with photographs of dead and dying Vietnamese throughout the famine period. Starving bodies filled the streets of Hanoi and required cleanup by local students. Survivors like Di Ho witnessed Japanese soldiers stealing grain in Phat Diem. These actions turned widespread desperation into organized resistance that would shape future conflicts.

  14

• 6. Relief Efforts And Government Response

  ›

  Mr. Nguyen Van To served as President of the Northern Relief Association from March 24 to the 24th of May 1945. He collected 782,403 dong and spent 593,836 dong on relief operations. A Central Committee for Relief of Northern Victims operated from an office at 43 Paul Bert Street. Empress Dowager Tu Cung chaired this central region effort while Emperor Bảo Đại remained in power. More than 20 relief associations formed in the south during May alone. Those organizations raised 1,677,886 dong within one month. They used funds to buy and transport 1,592 tons of rice for victims. Minister of Supply Nguyen Huu Thi traveled to Saigon to arrange transportation from southern regions. Seaports far from Saigon were selected as departure points to avoid American bombing raids. The government established price controls and ordered death sentences for violators. Despite these efforts, the crisis gradually eased only after June 1945 when food consumption demand dropped sharply due to mass deaths.

  12