Why did the French originally go to Vietnam?

The decision to invade Vietnam was made by Napoleon III in July 1857. It was the result not only of missionary propaganda but also, after 1850, of the upsurge of French capitalism, which generated the need for overseas markets and the desire for a larger French share of the Asian territories conquered by the West.

Did Indochina become Vietnam?

French Indochina was formed on October 17, 1887, from Annam, Tonkin, Cochinchina (which together form modern Vietnam), and the Kingdom of Cambodia.

For what reasons was Vietnam once called French Indochina ‘?

What we now call Vietnam was once owned and run by France. From the late 1800’s to 1954, Vietnam was part of a French colony called French Indochina. When the French first became interested in Indochina French missionaries sought to convert the Vietnamese to Catholicism, the religion of France.

Is French Indochina the same as Vietnam?

Indochina, also called (until 1950) French Indochina or French Indochine Française, the three countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia formerly associated with France, first within its empire and later within the French Union. Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), in French Colonial Style, 1901–08, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

What factors caused the French Indochina War?

The Vietnamese National Army

• Tension and hostility between the independence-seeking Viet Minh and returning French colonial forces led to the outbreak of the First Indochina War in late 1946.
• The Viet Minh had superior numbers but lack the weapons, munitions and technology of the French.

Why did the French want to colonize Indochina?

In reality, French colonialism was chiefly driven by economic interests. French colonists were interested in acquiring land, exploiting labour, exporting resources and making profit. 3. Vietnamese land was seized by the French and collectivised into large rice and rubber plantations.

How did French Indochina gain independence?

Under the Geneva Agreements, France agreed to withdraw its troops from Indochina, and agreed to the independence of South Vietnam and North Vietnam on December 29, 1954.