Introduction/Context
The French first entered Vietnam in 1600s with the hope of introducing Christianity to Vietnamese citizens with the formation of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, an organisation aimed to promote Christianity within Asia (Chapuis 170). However, French colonialism of Vietnam had not started until the mid 19th century. Little by little, they expanded their territory until after Emperor Tu Duc's death in 1874, when France gained complete control of Vietnam (Windows on Asia). By the 1880s, France had continued to expand their territory and had gained control Indochina. Indochina consists of one colony (Cochinchina) and four protectorates (Annam, Tonkin, Laos, and Cambodia) ("Vietnam - History"). Later on, during World War…show more content… 1858 The French navy attacks Danang harbour as a result of the execution of 30,000 converts and French Christian missionaries by the Nguyen Dynasty in Vietnam in the 50s (Llewellyn et al.). 1862 The Treaty of Saigon: A treaty was signed by French imperialist representatives and Tu Duc where Vietnam ceded Saigon and Cochinchina (Bien Hoa, Gia Dinh, and Dinh Tuong) to the French empire (Llewellyn et al.). 1863 The French imperialists imposed a protectorate on Cambodia with King Norodom's consent ("French Indochina"). 1873- 1875 The French continued to expand their territory in Indochina, including Annam of central Vietnam, Tonkin of northern Vietnam. The Vietnamese empire, the Nguyen dynasty also came to an end ("French Indochina"). 1887 The Union of French Indochina (Union Indochinoise) was formed. It consisted of Cochinchina, Annam, Tonkin, and Cambodia (Llewellyn et al.). 1893 Laos became a French protectorate from a treaty signed by King Sisavangvong ("Laos Profile - Timeline). 1897 Paul Doumer is appointed as the governor of Indochina by France ("A Timeline of"). 1930 The Indochinese Communist Party (later renamed Viet Minh) is founded by Ho Chi Minh ("A Timeline