Some Remarks on the Sovereignty Issues in Cochinchina in the Mid-19th Century

Abstract

This article deals some historical documents and events affirming the sovereignty of Vietnam over Cochinchina in the middle of 19th century. Basing on these, the article contributes to rejecting the so-called "Cambodian sovereignty over the Cochinchinese territory" which has been launched out by some exiled forces Khmers and by some Cambodian politicians in recent years.

This article affirms:

- Until to first haft of 19th century, all territories of Cochinchina had in fact been under the sovereignty of Vietnam. This had been resulted in interrelation of forces in the area during the two previous centuries and that was a heritage of the history.

- Thanks to hard-working and enduring exploitation of the Vietnamese in close cooperation with other ethnic minorities, the Cochinchina was turned into an rich and well-developed region and became an disputable part of the Vietnam.

- The French colonialism, with through different tactics, wars and negotiations, conquered Cochinchina and took it from the hands of the Hue Court, a legal master of the land and the representative of the people of the time.

- Right after the conquest of Cochinchina, the French government, with the legal agreement of the Cambodian dynasty decided defenitively over border lines with Cambodia.

- In the struggle against the French invasion, the Vietnamese people together with other brotherly ethnics in Cochinchina shed a lot of blood to defend the land and save the people. Therefore, they were the true masters of Cochinchina as a part of the Vietnam.