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French Indochina
[ 1858 - 1863 ] French occupation of Mekong Delta and Saigon, Vietnam
After numerous decades of friendly missionary missions, during which converts were protected, around the middle of the 19 th century the atmosphere became more hostile. In reaction to the change in relationship, Napoleon the III gave the order to send a military excursion-corps to the Indochina region. After overcoming a very strong resistance by the Vietnamese, French troops successfully occupied the Mekong Delta and Saigon. In 1862 the Vietnamese monarch Tu-Duc was forced to sign a contract, which allowed France to build catholic missions wherever they wanted. Furthermore, under the contract, the three east-provinces (Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh, and Dinh Tuong) and Saigon became property of the French state. In April 1863 the contract was formally ratified.
[ 1863 - 1893 ] Indochina, the forming
From the Mekong Delta and Saigon, during a 20-year time period the French occupied the whole of Vietnam and the kingdom of Cambodia. In 1887 the Indochina Union was formed. With it, the independent Vietnamese state ceased to exist. In 1893 Laos was removed from Thai control and joined the Indochina Union. Indochina is also known as French-Indochina.
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![Authentic map of French Indochina [1885] - click for full view](historypics/mapfrenchndochina1885tumb.gif)
[ 1894-1940 ] Indochina, the colonisation
Although the Vietnamese maintained a strong desire for independence, and felt against the economical and emotional exploitation by the French, slowly but surely the Vietnamese upper class started to cooperate with the French. The Vietnamese profited from the technical know-how of France. During this period, for example, the basis for a modern infrastructure was established, like the railway, tunnels and bridges, of which many are still in service today. The French, besides the political and military reasons, was able to satisfy its economical thirst. French industrial products were brought into Indochina. At the same time raw materials, like rice, rubber, coal, lead and tin, were shipped back to France and other French colonies. Indochina would become the most profitable colony for France. Despite the seeming win-win situation, the Vietnamese continued to feel a strong desire for independence. In the year 1930 the first bigger revolts against the French colonisation started. During World War II the Japanese would occupy Vietnam.
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