In terms of administrative management, Governor Bonard's Decision No. 145 dated August 14, 1862, stipulated the temporary administrative organization of Gia Dinh province as comprising three prefectures: Tan Binh, Tay Ninh , and Tan An. Each prefecture had three districts. Saigon was located within Binh Duong district of Tan Binh prefecture, while Cho Lon belonged to Tan Long district, both within the same prefecture. The prefecture and district system of Saigon-Gia Dinh at that time was temporarily administered by former officials of the Vietnamese imperial court, under the overall direction of a French official, a civil servant in the category of Inspector of Indigenous Affairs (Inspecteur des affaires indigènes). The organizational system below the district level (commune, village, hamlet, and hamlet) remained unchanged.
Admiral Pierre-Paul de La Grandière (1807-1876), Governor of Cochinchina
PHOTO: MUSÉE NATIONAL DE LA MARINE, PARIS (FRANCE)
Although there was an administrative separation between Saigon and Cholon (located in two different districts of Tan Binh prefecture), in reality, before 1864, the land register of Saigon included both Cholon and most of the Plain of Tombstones (Plaine des Tombeaux). It was not until 1864 that the French colonial authorities announced the decision to completely separate Saigon and Cholon into two cities.
Three years later (1867), Governor De La Grandière issued Decree No. 53 on April 4, 1867, consisting of 50 articles, regulating the organization and operation of the Saigon Municipal Commission, comprising one city commissioner and 12 members. The city commissioner was selected from among civil servants, while the other 12 members were chosen from among the Asian and European residents of Saigon, regardless of nationality. The Municipal Commission voted on matters such as: management of public property, city budget, tax rates and regulations on tax collection, construction projects, major repairs, maintenance, expansion of roads and public areas, etc.
The Saigon City Committee met four times a year, in February, May, July, and November, each meeting lasting ten days. All activities of the Saigon City Committee were under the direct supervision of the Director of Internal Affairs (Directeur de l'Intérieur), a position established in 1864 to assist the Governor in managing the administration of Saigon and the newly occupied provinces. On August 7, 1869, the Saigon city organization was reformed by Decree No. 131 of Governor Ohier, which renamed the City Committee the Municipal Council (Conseil municipal), consisting of a chairman (or chief commissioner) and 13 commissioners. The chief commissioner of the city council was called the Mayor of Saigon (Maire de Saigon), appointed by the Governor from among French civil servants. The method of appointing council members also changed: 6 were appointed by the Governor of Cochinchina, and 7 were elected directly. Their term was extended from one to two years, with no significant changes to the council's functions or responsibilities.
Le Myre de Vilers (1833-1918), the first civilian Governor of Cochinchina.
PHOTO: BNF - GALLICA
One can read in Decree No. 210 dated September 27, 1869, of Governor Ohier the list of 6 nominated members of the Saigon City Council, including 4 Europeans and 2 Asians, among whom was Petrus Truong Vinh Ky, Director of the Gia Dinh newspaper, the first Vietnamese to participate in the Saigon City Council in the early years of French rule.
In their plan to conquer all of Southern Vietnam, following the Treaty of Nhâm Tuất in 1862 signed with the Huế court, France proceeded with the second phase, occupying the three western provinces (Vĩnh Long, An Giang , and Hà Tiên) from June 20-23, 1867. From then on, the entire six provinces of Southern Vietnam were under French colonial control.
On January 5, 1876, the Governor of Cochinchina, Duperré, issued a decree extensively reorganizing the administrative structure of Cochinchina. Six provinces were abolished, replaced by four administrative regions (circonscriptions) and 21 districts (arrondissements). Below the districts were communes and villages. By December 8, 1882, the entire Cochinchina was divided into 21 districts (or counties), with Saigon city considered the first district within it.
From the 1880s onwards, the organizational structure also underwent significant changes. At the district level were French administrators (Administrateur des services civils). Each district had three administrators: one responsible for the courts and prisons, civil registration, taxation, and accounting; one for financial matters, establishing expenditure records, and keeping records of taxes, accounting, and supplies; and one responsible for public works, building housing for civil servants and schools, establishing and maintaining roads, postal services, land management, and census taking.
A school was opened for the French commissioners to learn the common Vietnamese language, Khmer (the Cambodian language), and Chinese. Vietnamese officials at the prefecture and district levels no longer headed their respective districts but worked under the authority of the French commissioners. Saigon was also governed by the general administrative organization of the entire Southern region.
On May 13, 1879, Le Myre de Vilers became the first civilian to hold the position of Governor of Cochinchina, marking the end of the era of military governors. (to be continued)
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/sai-gon-xua-du-ky-bo-may-cai-tri-tai-sai-gon-185251114215359718.htm
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