Around Southeast Asia in 1897

A Frenchwoman’s Observations in Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Burma, and Laos documents the travels of a Frenchwoman. Published in 1901 as a travelogue of a rare female traveler undertaking a journey by herself, at her own rhythm, and using her time as she saw fit, to observe the transformations in various countries of Indochina, this book offers original insights into the life of the local people and political developments under the onslaught of colonial powers in a region that is again in the focus today for its rapid globalization. Isabelle Massieu took a special interest in talking to field administrators and local people and in the transformation of these colonies by appropriate policies. Foremost, public education has her attention. At times journeying as a tourist to the obligatory sights and cities on a world traveler’s itinerary, she also has a keen eye and a ready ear for gossip that is not found anywhere else in the literature of these dramatic decades of upheaval.