Interpret the contribution of french in …

Steps taken by the French for the development of the 'Mekong Delta region' were:

1. The French built canals to drain lands in the Mekong Delta to increase cultivation.
2. Infrastructure projects were undertaken to ensure easy and smooth movement of goods from one part to the other part of the country.
3. The vast system of irrigation works-canals and earthworks-built mainly with forced labour increased rice production.
4. It allowed the export of rice to the international market. The area under rice cultivation went up (from 2,74,000 hectares in 1873 to 2.2 million hectares in 1930). Vietnam exported two-thirds of its rice production and became the third largest exporter of rice in the world.
5. Work was started on the Trans Indo-China rail link which would connect the northern and southern parts of Vietnam and China. A second line was built between Vietnam and Siam (Thailand) through Phnom Penh, the capital of Cambodia.