French Colonial Railways Built on Bones

Did you know that French colonial railways in Vietnam were literally built on human bones?

In the 1890s, French officials forced Vietnamese peasants into unpaid labor through the

brutal corvee system. Families were torn apart as men were dragged away for months to build

roads and railways. The Yunnan Railway project became a death sentence for thousands of workers.

Twelve percent died every year from malaria, dysentery, and starvation.

French overseers used whips and executions to keep the deadly pace. During Route Coloniale

4 construction in 1894, workers cleared jungle without safety equipment.

They built bridges over deep ravines with their bare hands. Many fell to their