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Provisional Central Government of Vietnam

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Provisional Central Government of Vietnam
Chính phủ Trung ương lâm thời Việt‑Nam
Gouvernement central provisoire du Viêt‑Nam
1948–1949
Motto: "Việt Nam thống nhất độc lập"
("Unite, Independent Vietnam")
Anthem: Thanh niên Hành Khúc
"The March of Youths"

La Marseillaise
Claimed territory of the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam
Claimed territory of the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam
StatusConstituent territory of French Indochina.
Transitional and associated government within the French Union.
CapitalHanoi (provisional)[1]
Saigon–Cholon
Official languagesVietnamese, French
Religion
Roman Catholicism
Buddhism
Confucianism
Taoism
Paganism
GovernmentProvisional government
Chief 
• 1948-1949
Nguyễn Văn Xuân
Historical eraCold War
• Proclamation
27 May 1948
• Reunification with Cochinchina
4 June 1949
• State of Vietnam proclaimed
2 July 1949
Currencypiastre
Preceded by		 Succeeded by
1948:
Annam
Tonkin
1949:
Cochinchina
State of Vietnam
Today part ofVietnam
Part of a series on the
History of Vietnam
Prehistoric
Paleolithic
Sơn Vi culture 20,000 BC–12,000 BC
Mesolithic
Hoabinhian 12,000 BC–10,000 BC
Neolithic
Bắc Sơn culture 10,000 BC–8,000 BC
Quỳnh Văn culture 8,000 BC–6,000 BC
Đa Bút culture 4,000 BC–3,000 BC
Bronze and Iron Ages
Phùng Nguyên culture 2,000 BC–1,500 BC
Đồng Đậu culture 1,500 BC–1,000 BC
Gò Mun culture 1,000–800 BC
Dong Son culture (1,000 BC–100 AD)
Sa Huỳnh culture (1,000 BC–200 AD)
Óc Eo culture (1–630 AD)
Ancient
Hồng Bàng dynasty 2879 BC–258 BC
Thục dynasty 257 BC–179 BC
Triệu dynasty 204 BC–111 BC
Dominated
1st Chinese domination 111 BC–40 AD
Trung sisters' rebellion 40–43
2nd Chinese domination 43–544
Early Lý dynasty544–602
3rd Chinese domination602–938
Dynastic
Ngô dynasty 939–965
Anarchy of the 12 Warlords 965–968
Đinh dynasty 968–980
Early Lê dynasty 980–1009
Later Lý dynasty 1009–1225
Trần dynasty 1225–1400
Hồ dynasty 1400–1407
4th Chinese domination 1407–1428
Later Lê dynasty 1428–1527
Mạc dynasty 1527–1592
Later Lê Restoration 1533–1789
Tây Sơn dynasty 1778–1802
Nguyễn dynasty 1802–1945
Colonial
French Cochinchina 1862–1945 / 1945–1949
French Annam 1883–1945 / 1945–1949
French Tonkin 1883–1945 / 1946–1949
French Indochina 1887–1946/1954
Empire of Vietnam 1945
Republic
North Vietnam
 1945–1976
Republic of South Vietnam 1975–1976
South Vietnam
 1955–1975
State of Vietnam 1949–1955
Socialist Republic of Vietnam 1976-now
Non-Vietnamese history
Funan 68–627
Champa 192–1832
Cát Tiên archaeological site 300–800
Chenla 550–781
Nanzhao 738–902
Khmer Empire 802–1431
Dali Kingdom 937–1253
Nung-Zhuang kingdom 1042–1052
Ngưu Hống 1061–1432
Jarai kingdoms 1100–1904
Sip Song Chau Tai 1600–1954
Principality of Hà Tiên1707–1832
By topic
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The Provisional Central Government of Vietnam[a] was a French-associated and transitional government entity proclaimed in Vietnam during the First Indochina War. It was created as a transitional government replacing the French protectorates of Tonkin (Northern Vietnam) and Annam (Central Vietnam), until Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam) could be reunited with the rest of the country under a unified French-associated administration.

History

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See also: First Indochina War and French Indochina

On June 5, 1948, the Halong Bay Agreements (Accords de la baie d’Along) allowed the creation of a unified Vietnamese government replacing the Tonkin (Northern Vietnam), Annam (Central Vietnam) associated to France within the French Union and the Indochinese Federation then including the neighboring Kingdom of Laos and Kingdom of Cambodia.

However, while the participants had agreed on the reunification of Cochinchina (Southern Vietnam) with Tonkin and Annam, it had a different status from the other two territories and retained a separate administration. Former Emperor Bảo Đại, whom the French wanted to bring back to power as a political alternative to Ho Chi Minh, insisted that all Vietnam should be reunited before he took office as "chief of State". General Nguyễn Văn Xuân, until then head of the Cochinchinese government, signed the agreements on Bảo Đại's behalf and became head of the newly formed Provisional Central Government; he was replaced by Trần Văn Hữu as president of the Cochinchinese administration. Although Vietnam was not yet reunited, and far from being autonomous, the French had agreed for the first time to include the word "independence" in the agreements.[2]

During the only year of its existence, the Provisional Central Government had very limited means, and was denounced by the communist Viet Minh as a puppet state.[3] The Xuân government was able to create several administrative units in Northern and Central Vietnam, but it was entirely dependent on the French as it initially had no army, no police forces and – being, unlike the government of Cochinchina, unable to collect taxes – no independent financial resources. As the Indochina war raged on, the Provisional Central Government was regarded as near-impotent. Also, the French administration was still in place in Tonkin and Annam and was often reluctant to relinquish power to the new Vietnamese administration.[2]

Moreover, the reunification of Vietnam was still hampered by the status of Cochinchina: the French colonists – who remained influential in the Cochinchinese consultative council – insisted, with the support of Southern Vietnamese autonomist politicians, that Cochinchina (then known as the Provisional Government of Southern Vietnam) was still legally a colony, since its status as an "autonomous Republic", proclaimed in 1946, had never been ratified by the French National Assembly, and that any process of reunification had therefore to be approved by the French Parliament. Xuân tried to reunite Cochinchina with his government through a by-law, but it was overruled by the colony's council. Trần Văn Hữu's administration therefore remained in existence and Vietnam found itself with two governments, each backed by the French, one claiming sovereignty over the whole country, and one administrating the Southern region.[2]

Gradually, the Vietnamese provisional government was given the means to establish armed forces. On 1 January 1949, the Vietnamese National Army was officially created under French supervision. It initially numbered 25,000 troops, including 10,000 irregulars.[4]

The Vietnamese situation remained deadlocked for over a year, as Bảo Đại refused to return to Vietnam and take office as head of state until the country was fully reunited. Finally, the French National Assembly voted a law set to create a Cochinchinese territorial assembly which would replace the former council. The new assembly was elected on 10 April 1949, and the Vietnamese became a majority.[2] On 23 April, the Cochinchinese assembly approved the merger with the Provisional Government, and its decision was in turn approved by the French National Assembly on May 20.[2] On June 4, Cochinchina and the "associated State of Vietnam" were formally merged,[5] and the State of Vietnam was then officially proclaimed on July 2.[3]

Cabinet

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ French: Gouvernement central provisoire du Viêt‑Nam, Vietnamese: Chánh-phủ Trung-ương lâm-thời Việt-Nam (early), Chính phủ Trung ương lâm thời Việt-Nam (later).
  2. ^ Also the Prime Minister of the Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina.

References

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  1. ^ Công-Báo Việt-Nam - 1948-06- 04. Page: 5.
  2. ^ a b c d e Philippe Franchini, Les Guerres d'Indochine, vol. I, Pygmalion - Gérard Watelet, Paris, 1988, pp. 399-406
  3. ^ a b Jacques Dalloz, La Guerre d'Indochine 1945–1954, Seuil, Paris, 1987, pp. 123-126
  4. ^ Ivan Cadeau, La Guerre d'Indochine. De l'indochine française aux adieux à saigon 1940-1956, Tallandier, Paris, 2016, p. 340-341
  5. ^ ORGANISATION DES POUVOIRS PUBLICS EN COCHINCHINE, Légifrance, June 5, 1949

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