French Indochina

French Indochina was a region in Southeast Asia that belonged to the French colonial empire. It consisted of modern day Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos. It was disestablished following the independence of the Kingdom of Laos and the 1st Kingdom of Cambodia in 1954, and the partition of Vietnam between the China backed Hanoi government in the North of Ho Chi Minh, and the American backed Saigon government in the South of Bao Dai, and later Ngo Dinh Diem, causing the outbreak of the Second Indochina War.

French Indochina
Indochine Française  (French)
ឥណ្ឌាចិនបារំាង  (Khmer)
Ĕnduchĕn Bareăng
Động Đường thuộc Pháp  (Vietnamese)
東洋屬法
ອິນດູຈີນຝຣັ່ງ  (Lao)
อินโดจีนของฝรั่งเศส  (Thai)
1887 - 1941
1945 - 1954
Motto: "Liberté, égalité, fraternité"
"Liberty, Equality, Fraternity"
Anthem: La Marseillaise
("The Marseillaise")
Location of French Indochina
CapitalHanoi (1902 - 1945)
Saigon (1887 - 1902; 1945 - 1954)
Official languagesFrench
Other languagesVietnamese, Khmer, Cham, Cantonese, Thai, Isan, Lao
Ethnic groups
(1936)
72% (Vietnamese)
13% (Khmer)
6% (Tai)
1.4% (Chinese, Cham, Hmong, Yao and Bahnar)
0.2% (Europeans)
7.3% (others)
Religion
Christianity
Buddhism
Vietnamese folk religion
Demonym(s)Indochinese
Membership Annam
Tonkin
Laos
Cochinchina
Cambodia
Governor-General 
• 1887–1888 (first)
Ernest Constans
• 1955–1956 (last)
Henri Hoppenot[a]
Historical eraNew Imperialism
World War 1
Interwar Period
World War 2
First Indochina War
1858–1885
• French Cochinchina established
17 October 1862
19 April 1899
• Addition of Guangzhouwan
5 January 1900
22 September 1940
October 1940 – May 1941
9 March 1945
2 September 1945
13 September 1945
19 December 1946
• State of Vietnam proclaimed
2 July 1949
• Kingdom of Cambodia proclaimed
9 November 1953
27 October 1954
Area
• Total
737,000 km2 (285,000 sq mi)
CurrencyFrench Indochinese piastre
Preceded by
Succeeded by
French Cambodia
French Cochinchina
French Annam
French Tonkin
Kingdom of Kampuchea (1945)
Kingdom of Luang Phrabang
Empire of Vietnam
Empire of Japan
Rattanakosin Kingdom
Thailand
Kingdom of Champassak
North Vietnam
South Vietnam
Kingdom of Cambodia
Kingdom of Laos
Today part ofCambodia
Laos
Vietnam
  1. As Commissioner-General