State of Vietnam | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1949–1955 | |||||||||||
| Motto: Dân vi quý[1] "The people are the most important" | |||||||||||
| Anthem: Thanh niên Hành Khúc "The March of Youths" | |||||||||||
| Grand Seal of the State[2] 保大國長 .svg) (1949–1954) | |||||||||||
.svg) The territory controlled by the State of Vietnam after the 1954 Geneva Conference (dark green); territory claimed but not controlled (light green). | |||||||||||
| Status | Associated state of theFrench Union (until 1954) Independent state (from 1954) | ||||||||||
| Capital | Saigon[3] 10°48′N106°39′E / 10.800°N 106.650°E /10.800; 106.650 | ||||||||||
| Official languages | Vietnamese,French | ||||||||||
| Religion | Folk religions Buddhism Confucianism Catholicism Caodaism Hoahaoism Evangelicalism | ||||||||||
| Demonyms | Vietnamese, Vietnamian | ||||||||||
| Government | Unitarysemi-constitutional monarchy | ||||||||||
| Chief of State | |||||||||||
• 1949–1955 | Bảo Đại | ||||||||||
• 1955 | Ngô Đình Diệm | ||||||||||
| Prime Minister | |||||||||||
• 1949–1950 | Bảo Đại | ||||||||||
• 1950 | Nguyễn Phan Long | ||||||||||
• 1950–1952 | Trần Văn Hữu | ||||||||||
• 1952–1953 | Nguyễn Văn Tâm | ||||||||||
• 1954 | Bửu Lộc | ||||||||||
• 1954–1955 | Ngô Đình Diệm | ||||||||||
| Historical era | Cold War | ||||||||||
| 8 March 1949 | |||||||||||
• Proclamation | 2 July 1949 | ||||||||||
• Matignon Treaty | 4 June 1954 | ||||||||||
| 21 July 1954 | |||||||||||
| 26 October 1955 | |||||||||||
| Currency | piastre đồng (from 1953) | ||||||||||
| |||||||||||
| Today part of | Vietnam | ||||||||||
TheState of Vietnam (Vietnamese:Quốc gia Việt Nam;chữ Hán: 國家越南;French:État du Viêt-Nam) was a state inSoutheast Asia that existed from 1949 until 1955, first as an associated state of theFrench Union and later as an independent state (from 20 July 1954 to 26 October 1955). The state claimed authority over all ofVietnam during theFirst Indochina War, although large parts of its remote territory were controlled by theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam.
The State of Vietnam was formed in 1949 within the framework of theFrench Union as a compromise between Vietnamese nationalists and the French, in opposition to the communists.[4][5] It gained international recognition in 1950 and aligned politically with theWestern Bloc. Former emperorBảo Đại became Chief of State. Following the1954 Geneva Accords between the communistViet Minh and the French, the State of Vietnam lost its remaining foothold in the northern half of the country, where most rural areas were already controlled by the Viet Minh.[6]Ngô Đình Diệm was appointedprime minister the same year and—after having ousted Bảo Đại in 1955—becamepresident of theRepublic of Vietnam.
The16th parallel was established by the Allies on August 2, 1945, following thePotsdam Conference, dividing the formerFrench Indochina into two military zones:Chinese Nationalist forces occupied the North, and British forces the South, to disarm Japanese troops.[7] The communist-ledViet Minh launched theAugust Revolution to seek control in Vietnam, andHo Chi Minh declared the independence of theDemocratic Republic of Vietnam (DRV).
Beginning in August 1945, the Viet Minh sought to consolidate power by terrorizing and purging rival Vietnamesenationalist groups andTrotskyist activists.[8][9][10][11] On September 23, the British supported a Frenchcoup de force that overthrew the DRV government inSaigon and attempted toreinstate French control over southern Indochina.[12] In 1946, the Franco-Chinese andHo–Sainteny Agreements enabled French forces to replace the Chinese north of the 16th parallel and facilitated a coexistence between the DRV and the French that strengthened the Viet Minh while undermining the nationalists.[13][14] That summer, the Viet Minh colluded with French forces to eliminate nationalists, targeted for their ardent anti-colonialism.[15][16][8]: 205–207 [17]: 699–700
With most of the nationalist partisans defeated,[18][19] and negotiations broken down, tensions between the Viet Minh and French authorities erupted intofull-scale war in December 1946,[20] a conflict which became entwined with theCold War. Surviving nationalist partisans and politico-religious groups rallied behind the exiledBảo Đại to reopen negotiations withFrance in opposition to communist domination.[21][22]
On June 5, 1948, theHalong Bay Agreements (Accords de la baie d’Along) allowed the foundation of a unified Vietnamese government replacing the governments ofTonkin (North Vietnam) andAnnam (Middle Vietnam) associated to France within theFrench Union. The Associated States of Indochina then also included the neighboringKingdom of Laos andKingdom of Cambodia.Cochinchina (South Vietnam), however, had a different status, both as acolony and as an autonomous republic, and its reunification with the rest of Vietnam had to be approved by its local assembly, and then by theFrench National Assembly. During the transitional period, aProvisional Central Government of Vietnam was proclaimed:Nguyễn Văn Xuân, until then head of theProvisional Government of South Vietnam (as Cochinchina had been known since 1947), became its president, whileBảo Đại waited for a complete reunification to take office.
On May 20, 1949, the French National Assembly approved the reunification of Cochinchina with the rest of Vietnam. The decision took effect on June 14 and the State of Vietnam (SVN) was officially proclaimed on July 2. From 1949 to 1954, the State of Vietnam had partial autonomy from France as anassociated state within theFrench Union.
Bảo Đại and Hồ Chí Minh competed for international and domestic recognition as the legitimate authority over Vietnam. While the State of Vietnam aligned with the anticommunistWestern Bloc, the French exploited it to extend their colonial presence and to bolster their standing withinNATO.[23] The State of Vietnam received its strongest support from theUnited States[24] while Hồ's DRV was backed by thePeople's Republic of China[25] and theSoviet Union[26] (since 1950).
Roughly 60% of Vietnamese territory was under the DRV control in 1952.[27] However, most delta and urban areas with large populations were brought under the control of the SVN.[28] Frustrated with the communist-led Viet Minh becoming increasingly radicalized, many people left itsmaquis and returned to the cities, a process known in Vietnamese asdinh tê.[29]: 520 Thousands among them came to support the State of Vietnam.[30]
Following the onset offull-scale war between the Viet Minh and France in December 1946, there emerged nationalists who pursued the quest for a ‘Third Force’ that would be both anticommunist and anticolonialist. This stance led them to maintain an uneasy neutrality in the conflict, and they were at times labeled asattentistes,[31]: 435 includingNgô Đình Diệm and certainĐại Việt politicians. With the internationalization of the war in 1950, many of these figures ultimately stepped off the fence and entered the political fray.[32]
The State of Vietnam was not merely a colonial construct, but a fragmented and negotiated state in which sovereignty was unevenly exercised by colonial authorities, local political actors, and religious self-governing entities. Its state transformation was an act of bricolage, cobbled together from layered legacies of the past and evolving contemporary dynamics.[33] TheMatignon Treaty on 4 June 1954[34] was seen as granting Vietnam independence from France.[35]: 8 The prominent nationalist Ngo Dinh Diem, who by now no longer believed thatattentisme was a viable policy, was appointed by Bảo Đại in June 1954 to lead the Vietnamese government.[31] With the full support of Bảo Đại, Diệm committed himself to rapidly establishing a truly independent state, and formally withdrew the State of Vietnam from the French Union on July 20, 1954.[36]
TheGeneva Accords, signed between the French and the Viet Minh on 21 July 1954, ended the Indochina War by establishing a temporary division of Vietnam at the17th parallel, with the DRV in the North and the State of Vietnam in the South, pending nationwide elections scheduled for July 1956.[37] Communist forces enteredHanoi on 10 October 1954, replacing the French Union forces that were withdrawing South. During the 300-day period of relocation, around 120,000 Viet Minh personnel moved North. Meanwhile, at least 500,000 Catholics, about 200,000 Buddhists, and tens of thousands from minority groups moved South, many viaOperation Passage to Freedom.[38]
The State of Vietnam[39] and the United States were firmly opposed to the final settlement at Geneva and the partition of Vietnam.[35]: 7–9 In July 1955, Prime MinisterNgo Dinh Diem announced in a broadcast that South Vietnam would not participate in the elections specified in the Geneva Accords, as they had not signed the agreement and therefore were not bound by it.[40][41]
On May 27, 1948,Nguyễn Văn Xuân, then President of the Republic of Cochinchina, became President of the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam (Thủ tướng lâm thời) following the merging of the government of Cochin China and Vietnam in what is sometimes referred as "Pre-Vietnam".
On June 14, 1949, Bảo Đại was appointed Chief of State (Quốc trưởng) of the State of Vietnam; he was concurrently Prime Minister for a short while (Kiêm nhiệm Thủ tướng).
On October 26, 1955, the Republic of Vietnam was established and Ngô Đình Diệm became the first President of the Republic.
| Name | Took office | Left office | Title | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nguyễn Văn Xuân | May 27, 1948 | July 1, 1949 | President of theProvisional Central Government of Vietnam | |
| 1 | Bảo Đại | July 1, 1949[42] | January 21, 1950 | Prime Minister; remained Chief of State throughout the State of Vietnam |
| 2 | Nguyễn Phan Long | January 21, 1950 | April 27, 1950 | Prime Minister |
| 3 | Trần Văn Hữu | May 6, 1950 | June 3, 1952 | Prime Minister |
| 4 | Nguyễn Văn Tâm | June 23, 1952 | December 7, 1953 | Prime Minister |
| 5 | Bửu Lộc | January 11, 1954 | July 7, 1954 | Prime Minister |
| 6 | Ngô Đình Diệm | July 7, 1954 | October 26, 1955 | Prime Minister |
In South Vietnam, a referendum was scheduled for 23 October 1955 to determine the future direction of the south, in which the people would choose Diệm or Bảo Đại as the leader of South Vietnam.[43] During the election, Diệm's brother Ngô Đình Nhu and thePersonalist Labor Revolutionary Party (commonly known as "Cần Lao Party") supplied Diệm's electoral base in organizing and supervising the elections, especially the propaganda campaign for destroying Bảo Đại's reputation. Supporters of Bảo Đại were not allowed to campaign, and were physically attacked by Nhu's workers.[44] Official results showed 98.2 per cent of voters favoured Diệm, an implausibly high result that was condemned as fraudulent. The total number of votes far exceeded the number of registered voters by over 380,000, further evidence that the referendum was heavily rigged.[44][45] For example, only 450,000 voters were registered in Saigon, but 605,025 were said to have voted for Diệm. On 26 October, Diệm proclaimed the Republic of Vietnam—widely known asSouth Vietnam—whose reformed army, with American assistance, pursued the conflict with North Vietnam; theViet Cong replaced theViet Minh, in theVietnam War.[45]
Following the signing of the 1949Élysée Accords in Paris, Bảo Đại was able to create aNational Army for defense purposes.
It fought under the State of Vietnam's banner and leadership and was commanded by GeneralNguyễn Văn Hinh.
The currency used within the French Union was theFrench Indochinese piastre. Notes were issued and managed by the "Issue Institute of the States of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam" (Institut d’Emission des Etats du Cambodge, du Laos et du Viêt-Nam). In 1953, Vietnam introduced itsown currency.
By 1950, a number of countries recognized the State of Vietnam:[46]
United Kingdom,
United States (February 7, 1950)
Belgium,
Australia (February 8, 1950)
Luxembourg,
New Zealand (February 9, 1950)
Greece (February 12, 1950)
Italy (February 18, 1950)
Jordan (February 20, 1950)
Honduras (February 25, 1950)
Brazil (February 27, 1950)
Thailand (February 28, 1950)
Republic of Korea,
Spain (March 3, 1950)
Ecuador,
Peru (March 10, 1950)
Holy See,
South Africa,
Venezuela (March 13, 1950)
Bolivia,
Costa Rica (March 15, 1950)
Cuba (March 16, 1950)
Netherlands (April 12, 1950)
Paraguay (April 13, 1950)
Colombia (April 29, 1950)
Argentina (May 4, 1950)
Chile,
Haiti,
Liberia,
Nicaragua
Panama,
El Salvador,
Philippines,
CanadaOn 21 October 1949, theUnited Nations Economic Commission for Asia and the Far East, having considered the applications of both the State of Vietnam and the Democratic Republic of Vietnam, accepted the SVN as an associate member.[47] As of 1952, while applying forUnited Nations membership, the State of Vietnam was a member of the following organizations:[48]
Following the creation of the State of Vietnam and the establishment of its government, the Chief of StateBảo Đại signed the two ordinances related to the administration and local governance of the State of Vietnam, namely Ordinance No. 1 ("Organisation and Operation of civil authorities in Vietnam") and Ordinance No. 2 ("Statutes of Government office").[49] These ordinances divided the State of Vietnam into three principaladministrative regions, namelyBắc Việt (formerTonkin),Trung Việt (formerAnnam), andNam Việt (formerCochinchina), the local government of each administrative region was headed by aThủ hiến (Governour).[49] Since 1948, the three regions had also been referred to as Bắc Phần, Trung Phần, and Nam Phần.
On 4 August 1954 the government of the State of Vietnam enacted Ordinance No. 21 which abolished the autonomous status of the three regions and abolished the post of regional governour, replacing them with central government representatives in all parts of its territory.[49]
TheDomain of the Crown (Vietnamese: Hoàng triều Cương thổ / 皇朝疆土;French:Domaine de la Couronne) was originally theNguyễn dynasty's geopolitical concept for its protectorates and principalities where theKinh ethnic group didn't make up the majority, later it became a type of administrative unit of the State of Vietnam.[50] It was officially established on 15 April 1950 and dissolved on 11 March 1955.[50] In the areas of the Domain of the Crown Chief of State Bảo Đại was still officially (and legally) titled as the "Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty".[51]
The Domain of the Crown contained the following five provinces established from the formerMontagnard country of South Indochina:[51][52]
InBắc phần it contained the following provinces:[51][52]
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