Treaties and establishment of French Indochina (1862–1887)

  1. Franco-Spanish forces attack Tourane (Da Nang)

    Labels: Franco-Spanish expedition, Tourane N

    A joint French–Spanish expedition landed at Tourane (Đà Nẵng), opening the campaign that would pressure the Nguyễn court and set the stage for unequal treaties in Vietnam.

  2. French forces seize Saigon

    Labels: Saigon, French forces

    French troops captured Saigon, giving France a strategic base in southern Vietnam and accelerating the shift from punitive expedition to territorial conquest.

  3. First Treaty of Saigon cedes three provinces

    Labels: Treaty of, Nguy n

    The Treaty of Saigon (1862) forced the Nguyễn dynasty to cede Saigon and three southern provinces (forming the core of colonial Cochinchina), open ports to trade, allow missionary activity, and pay an indemnity—France’s first durable foothold in Vietnam.

  4. Treaty of Huế confirms First Treaty of Saigon

    Labels: Treaty of, Nguy n

    A follow-up agreement at Huế reaffirmed key provisions of the 1862 settlement, reinforcing French leverage over Vietnamese foreign relations and commerce.

  5. Cambodia accepts French protectorate treaty

    Labels: King Norodom, Cambodia

    King Norodom signed a treaty establishing a French protectorate over Cambodia, expanding French influence beyond Vietnam and laying groundwork for a wider Indochinese colonial union.

  6. France annexes western Cochinchina provinces

    Labels: Cochinchina annexation, French forces

    French forces occupied the remaining three western provinces in southern Vietnam (including Vĩnh Long, Hà Tiên, and Châu Đốc/An Giang), completing France’s takeover of Cochinchina.

  7. Garnier captures Hanoi citadel

    Labels: Francis Garnier, Hanoi citadel

    During an unauthorized intervention in Tonkin, Francis Garnier seized the Hanoi citadel—an early, escalatory move that highlighted France’s growing interest in northern Vietnam and the Red River route.

  8. Second Treaty of Saigon expands French privileges

    Labels: Treaty of, France

    The Treaty of Saigon (1874) granted France major commercial and diplomatic advantages and had Vietnam recognize France’s sovereignty over Cochinchina, deepening dependency and paving the way toward protectorate rule.

  9. Rivière seizes Hanoi citadel

    Labels: Henri Rivi, Hanoi citadel

    Henri Rivière’s unsanctioned capture of Hanoi further destabilized Tonkin and intensified confrontation among French forces, the Nguyễn court, and Chinese-linked resistance networks.

  10. Battle of Thuận An enables imposed protectorate terms

    Labels: Battle of, Hu

    France’s victory at the Battle of Thuận An exposed Huế to attack, allowing France to dictate terms that recognized French protectorate authority in Vietnam’s center and north.

  11. Harmand Treaty of Huế declares protectorates

    Labels: Harmand Treaty, Nguy n

    The Treaty of Huế (1883) (Harmand Treaty) compelled the Nguyễn court to accept French protectorate control over Annam and Tonkin. It was widely seen (even in France) as excessively harsh and was later replaced.

  12. Franco-Chinese Tianjin Accord signed

    Labels: Tianjin Accord, France, Qing China

    France and Qing China reached the Tianjin (Tientsin) Accord, a key diplomatic step in the Sino-French conflict over Vietnam that preceded formal treaty settlement and undercut China’s traditional suzerainty claims.

  13. Patenôtre Treaty of Huế formalizes protectorate regime

    Labels: Paten tre, Protectorate regime

    The Treaty of Huế (1884) replaced the Harmand Treaty with revised terms while entrenching French protectorates over Annam and Tonkin, consolidating France’s legal-political framework for rule in Vietnam.

  14. Treaty of Tianjin ends Sino-French War

    Labels: Treaty of, Sino-French War

    The Treaty of Tianjin (1885) formally ended the Sino-French War and required China to recognize the French protectorate over Annam and Tonkin, cementing France’s diplomatic victory over competing Qing influence in Vietnam.

  15. Decree creates the Union of French Indochina

    Labels: Union of, Governor-General

    A French decree organized French Indochina by uniting Cochinchina (colony) with Annam, Tonkin, and Cambodia (protectorates) under a Governor-General—an administrative consolidation central to France’s colonial state-building in mainland Southeast Asia.

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Last Updated:Jan 1, 1980

Treaties and establishment of French Indochina (1862–1887)