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Vietnamese Govt. Cede Territories
Vietnamese government was forced to negotiate and officially cede the territories of Biên Hòa, Gia Định and Định Tường to France in the 1862 Treaty of Saigon. -
French Colonies Form Cochinchina
In 1864, all the French territories in southern Vietnam were declared to be the new French colony of Cochinchina. -
Period: to
Vietnamese Peoples' Rebellion
Led by Phan Đình Phùng against France as the colonizing power. Such is an exemplification of continued rebellions throughout the colonization period due to increased nationalist sentiment. -
French Indochina Officially Formed
French Indochina was officially formed in October 1887 from Annam, Tonkin, Cochinchina (which together form modern Vietnam) and the Kingdom of Cambodia following the Sino-French war (1884–1885) -
First Governer-General Appointed
Jean Antoine Ernest Constans became the first Governor-General of French Indochina on 16 November 1887. -
Laos Added to French Indochina
Laos was added after the Franco-Siamese War of 1893. -
Shift in Vietnamese Sentiment (Informal Event; Social Trend)
As a generation who had never lived in precolonial Vietnam grew to adult age, the civilian goal shifted from returning to the fedual order to establishing a republic upon independence (the population ackwnowledged both that a return to fedual order was not feasible and that modern technology/governmental systems were needed) -
"Go East" Movement
Started by Phan Bội Châu with intent to modernize the country. Sent Vietnamese students to Japan to learn modern skills in hopes that they could lead effective rebellion against the French in the future. Example of anti-French sentiment among the civilian population. -
"Modernization" Movement
Also called Duy Tân, this movement was led by Phan Châu Trinh as a peaceful and non-violent struggle to gain independence. It stressed education for the masses to: foster positive relations between the French and Vietnamese governments, modernize the country, and create peacful transitions to/from power within the country's organizations. -
Unification of Communist Parties
The various, pre-existing communist parties in Vietnam were unified into the Vietnamese Communist Party when Nguyễn Ái Quốc went to Hong Kong to coordinate such coordination. The party is known to have modeled its activities after Stalin's Russian policy. -
Establishment of Control by the Vichy French Regime
The colony remained loyal to the Vichy French, whom were themselves very dependent on the resources and aid of Nazi Germany. Cooperative efforts therein thus led to the coerced cession of French Indochina to Japan (Germany's ally in WWII). Vietnamese resources were exploited to benefit the poorly supplied Japanese army, particularly its units in Burma. -
Japanese Invasion of French Indochina
The French managed to maintain control of their colonies throughout the duration of WWII until the war in the Pacific eventually led to this Japanese conquest. Defeated French forces were not strong enough to protect the region thoroughly during this time. -
Proclomation of National Independence Under Ho Chi Minh
Ho Chi Minh, a Marxist-Leninist revolutionary who sought a future independence from France for Vietnam, occupied Hanoi and proclaimed a provisional government/national independence with the help of a nationalist liberation called the Viet Minh. -
Period: to
Vietnamese Famine of 1945
400,000-2 million people are estimated to have died of starvation as a result of the effects of WWII on the Vietnamese economy. Notably, mismanagement within the French colonial administration contributed to the effect. -
August Revolution
-the Việt Minh under Hồ Chí Minh began a rebellion against French colonial rule in Vietnam
-At the time, the Việt Minh were being provided with minor supplies by the United States to fight the Japanese. -
Democratic Republic of Vietnam Proclaimed
-Hồ Chí Minh proclaimed the Democratic Republic of Vietnam -Hồ Chí Minh and the Việt Minh began negotiations with the French in late 1945. The Việt Minh were willing at this point to negotiate for something less than independence. Politically, they distrusted the occupying Nationalist Chinese both from ideological and historical viewpoints -
Geneva Conference of 1954
Resulted in the Geneva Accords that occurred following the First Indochina War and called for the dissolution of French Indochina and end to the colonial administration.