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Cambodia: Boy begging in traffic, Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Clutching small bills and a feather duster to clean windscreens, a boy begs for money from a passenger in traffic, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Operation Arc Light was the 1965 deployment of B-52D Stratofortresses as conventional bombers from bases in the US to Guam to support ground combat operations in Vietnam.<br/><br/> By extension, Arc Light, and sometimes Arclight, is the code name and general term for the use of B-52 Stratofortress as a close air support (CAS) platform to support ground tactical operations assisted by ground-control-radar detachments of the 1st Combat Evaluation Group (1CEVG) in Operation Combat SkySpot during the Vietnam War. At the same time, investigations of secret CIA activities in Laos revealed that B-52s were used to systematically bomb Laos and Cambodia. In fact, the United States dropped more bombs on Laos than it did during World War II on Germany and Japan combined. To this day, vast areas of Laos and Cambodia are uninhabitable because of unexploded ordnance.<br/><br/> In 1964, the U.S. Air Force began to train strategic bomber crews in the delivery of conventional munitions. Under Project Big Belly, all B-52Ds were modified so that they could carry nearly 30 tons of conventional bombs. B-52s were deployed to air force bases in Guam and Thailand. Arc Light operations were most often CAS bombing raids of enemy base camps, troops concentrations, and supply lines.<br/><br/> Missions were commonly flown in three-plane formations known as 'cells' and were also employed when ground units in heavy combat requested fire support. Releasing their bombs from high in the stratosphere, the B-52s could neither be seen nor heard from the ground. B-52s were instrumental in nearly wiping out enemy concentrations besieging Khe Sanh in 1968 and An Loc and Kontum in 1972.
Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.
Hanoi (Vietnamese: Hà Nội), is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. It has an estimated population of nearly 6.5 million (2009), (but only 2.6 million (2009) in urban areas). From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam.<br/><br/> It was eclipsed by Huế during the Nguyễn dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam.
In 1863, Cambodia became a protectorate of France. In October 1887, the French announced the formation of the Union Indochinoise (Union of Indochina), which at that time comprised Cambodia and the three regions of Vietnam (Tonkin, Annam, and Cochinchina). In 1893, Laos was also annexed.
Tourism poster advertising French Indochina or Indochine Francaise from c.1930. French Indochina included Vietnam (Tonkin, Annam and Cochin China) as well as Laos and Cambodia.
Three happy dancing children, one French, one Vietnamese and one Japanese in this Vichy-Japanese propaganda poster from World War II. French, Japanese and French Indochina flags flutter in the background.<br/><br/> In September 1940, during World War II, the newly created regime of Vichy France granted Japan's demands for military access to Tonkin with the invasion of French Indochina (or Vietnam Expedition). This allowed Japan better access to China in the Second Sino-Japanese War against the forces of Chiang Kai-shek, but it was also part of Japan's strategy for dominion over the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.<br/><br/> On 9 March 1945, with France liberated, Germany in retreat, and the United States ascendant in the Pacific, Japan decided to take complete control of Indochina. The Japanese launched the Second French Indochina Campaign. The Japanese kept power in Indochina until the news of their government's surrender came through in August.
Touby Lyfoung (1917–1979) was a Hmong political and military leader. Born in 1917 in Nong Het, Laos, he became the first Hmong politician to achieve national prominence. During his long career, which began under French colonial rule and extended to the communist takeover in 1975, he supported the Royal Lao Government and American involvement in the Secret War.
東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
Chợ Lớn is a Chinese-influenced section of Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon). It lies on the west bank of the Saigon River, having Bình Tây Market as its central market. Cholon consists of the western half of District 5 as well as several adjoining neighborhoods in District 6.<br/><br/>The Vietnamese name Cholon literally means 'big' (lớn) 'market' (chợ). The Chinese name (and original name) of Cholon is 堤岸 (pronounced Tai-Ngon in Cantonese and Dī'àn in Mandarin, which means 'embankment' (French: quais). The Vietnamese reading of the Chinese name is Đê Ngạn, but this is rarely used. Vietnamese speakers exclusively use the name Chợ Lớn, while Chinese speakers (both inside Vietnam and in China) are the only users of the latter.<br/><br/>In 1778, the Hoa (Chinese minority of Vietnam) living in Biên Hòa had to take refuge in what is now Cholon because they were retaliated against by the Tây Sơn forces for their support of the Nguyễn lords. In 1782, they were again massacred by the Tây Sơn and had to rebuild. They built high embankments against the flows of the river, and called their new settlement Tai-Ngon (meaning 'embankment' in Cantonese).<br/><br/>Cholon was incorporated as a city in 1879, 11 km from Saigon. By the 1930s, it had expanded to the city limit of Saigon. On April 27, 1931, the two cities were merged to form Saigon-Cholon. In 1956, 'Cholon' was dropped from the name and the city became known as Saigon.
The First Indochina War (also known as the French Indochina War, Anti-French War, Franco-Vietnamese War, Franco-Vietminh War, Indochina War, Dirty War in France, and Anti-French Resistance War in contemporary Vietnam) was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps, led by France and supported by Emperor Bảo Đại's Vietnamese National Army against the Việt Minh, led by Hồ Chí Minh and Võ Nguyên Giáp. Most of the fighting took place in Tonkin in Northern Vietnam, although the conflict engulfed the entire country and also extended into the neighboring French Indochina protectorates of Laos and Cambodia. The war ended in French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.
東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
The Laotian Civil War (1953–75) was fought between the Communist Pathet Lao (including many North Vietnamese of Lao ancestry) and the Royal Lao Government in which both the political rightists and leftists received heavy external support for a proxy war from the global Cold War superpowers. Among United States Central Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division US and Hmong veterans of the conflict, it is known as the Secret War.<br/><br/> The Kingdom of Laos was a covert theatre for battle for the other belligerents during the Vietnam War. The Franco–Lao Treaty of Amity and Association signed 22 October 1953, transferred remaining French powers – except control of military affairs – to the Royal Lao Government – which did not include any representatives from the Lao Issara anti-colonial armed nationalist movement — and otherwise establishing Laos as an independent member of the French Union.<br/><br/> The following years were marked by a rivalry between the neutralists under Prince Souvanna Phouma, the right wing under Prince Boun Oum of Champassak, and the left-wing Lao Patriotic Front under Prince Souphanouvong and future Prime Minister Kaysone Phomvihane. A number of attempts were made to establish coalition governments, and a 'tri-coalition' government was finally seated in Vientiane.<br/><br/> The fighting in Laos involved the North Vietnamese Army, U.S., Thai, and South Vietnamese forces directly and through irregular proxies in a battle for control over the Laotian Panhandle. The North Vietnamese Army occupied the area for use as the Ho Chi Minh Trail supply corridor and staging area for offensives into South Vietnam. There was a second major theatre of action on and near the northern Plain of Jars.<br/><br/> The North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao emerged victorious in 1975, as part of the general communist victory in Indochina that year.
Edgar 'Pop' Buell was a farmer from Steuben County, Indiana, but following the death of his wife in 1958 he joined the International Voluntary Services, a precursor to the Peace Corps, which offered him a job as an agricultural adviser in Laos. Buell worked in Laos through the Laotian Civil War, organizing relief aid to refugees and isolated villages, before he was forced to flee Laos in the mid-1970s.<br/><br/> He is widely regarded as having been the CIA's main contact with the Hmong anti-communist forces during the Laos 'Secret War' (1964-1973).<br/><br/> Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.<br/><br/>
東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
The Lycée Albert-Sarraut was a French lyceum in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the French colonial period.<br/><br/> It was one of 69 high schools founded by the French in their colonies worldwide, named for Albert Sarraut. The school offered high standard academic programs for students between the ages of 11 and 18.
Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.
The Japanese Covered Bridge is a symbol of Hoi An and of its rich mercantile past. The bridge was built in 1593 by the Japanese trading community to link them with the Chinese quarter further to the east.<br/><br/>東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
The Laotian Civil War (1953–75) was fought between the Communist Pathet Lao (including many North Vietnamese of Lao ancestry) and the Royal Lao Government in which both the political rightists and leftists received heavy external support for a proxy war from the global Cold War superpowers. Among United States Central Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division US and Hmong veterans of the conflict, it is known as the Secret War.<br/><br/> The Kingdom of Laos was a covert theatre for battle for the other belligerents during the Vietnam War. The Franco–Lao Treaty of Amity and Association signed 22 October 1953, transferred remaining French powers – except control of military affairs – to the Royal Lao Government – which did not include any representatives from the Lao Issara anti-colonial armed nationalist movement — and otherwise establishing Laos as an independent member of the French Union.<br/><br/> The following years were marked by a rivalry between the neutralists under Prince Souvanna Phouma, the right wing under Prince Boun Oum of Champassak, and the left-wing Lao Patriotic Front under Prince Souphanouvong and future Prime Minister Kaysone Phomvihane. A number of attempts were made to establish coalition governments, and a 'tri-coalition' government was finally seated in Vientiane.<br/><br/> The fighting in Laos involved the North Vietnamese Army, U.S., Thai, and South Vietnamese forces directly and through irregular proxies in a battle for control over the Laotian Panhandle. The North Vietnamese Army occupied the area for use as the Ho Chi Minh Trail supply corridor and staging area for offensives into South Vietnam. There was a second major theatre of action on and near the northern Plain of Jars.<br/><br/> The North Vietnamese and Pathet Lao emerged victorious in 1975, as part of the general communist victory in Indochina that year.
Edgar 'Pop' Buell was a farmer from Steuben County, Indiana, but following the death of his wife in 1958 he joined the International Voluntary Services, a precursor to the Peace Corps, which offered him a job as an agricultural adviser in Laos. Buell worked in Laos through the Laotian Civil War, organizing relief aid to refugees and isolated villages, before he was forced to flee Laos in the mid-1970s.<br/><br/> He is widely regarded as having been the CIA's main contact with the Hmong anti-communist forces during the Laos 'Secret War' (c. 1964-1973).
Den Ngoc Son, or ‘Jade Mountain Temple’ is one of the most revered religious complexes in the capital. Established by the scholarly mandarin Nguyen Van Sieu (1799–1872) appropriate symbols of learning and literature mark the temple complex.<br/><br/>Ho Hoan Kiem means ‘Lake of the Restored Sword’, a body of water that lies at the heart of Hanoi. Until the 15th century it was called Luc Thuy or ‘Green Water’. Legend has it that during the Ming occupation (1407-28), General Le Loi was presented with a magical sword by a divine turtle that lived in the waters. With the help of this sword, Le Loi expelled the Chinese from northern Vietnam and established himself as Emperor Le Thai To. Later, when the emperor was sailing on the lake, the turtle rose to the surface and reclaimed the sword. Ever since it has been known as Ho Hoan Kiem.<br/><br/>東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
The Lycée Albert-Sarraut was a French lyceum in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the French colonial period.<br/><br/> It was one of 69 high schools founded by the French in their colonies worldwide, named for Albert Sarraut. The school offered high standard academic programs for students between the ages of 11 and 18.
Rightist Hmong General Vang Pao is pictured holding hands with Thai Army Chief of Staff Surakij Mayalab at a site overlooking Hmong–CIA headquarters in Long Tien, Laos. To the left of Mayalab is CIA case officer Burr Smith (with shaven head). The rest of the men in the photo are Thai soldiers who served in Laos with Lao-Hmong forces.<br/><br/> Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.
The resort town of Vung Tau, known in French colonial times as Cap St Jacques, lies at the tip of a triangular peninsula jutting into the sea near the mouth of the Saigon River.<br/><br/>During the 14th and 15th centuries, the cape that would become Vũng Tàu was a swamp which European trading ships visited regularly.<br/><br/>東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
The First Indochina War (also known as the French Indochina War, Anti-French War, Franco-Vietnamese War, Franco-Vietminh War, Indochina War, Dirty War in France, and Anti-French Resistance War in contemporary Vietnam) was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East Expeditionary Corps, led by France and supported by Emperor Bảo Đại's Vietnamese National Army against the Việt Minh, led by Hồ Chí Minh and Võ Nguyên Giáp.<br/><br/> Most of the fighting took place in Tonkin in Northern Vietnam, although the conflict engulfed the entire country and also extended into the neighboring French Indochina protectorates of Laos and Cambodia. The war ended in French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954.
Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.
Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.<br/><br/> Touby Lyfoung (1917–1979) was a Hmong political and military leader. Born in 1917 in Nong Het, Laos, he became the first Hmong politician to achieve national prominence. During his long career, which began under French colonial rule and extended to the communist takeover in 1975, he supported the Royal Lao Government and American involvement in the Secret War.
Hanoi's Old Quarter lies immediately north of Ho Hoan Kiem lake. It's better known locally as Bam Sau Pho Phuong or the ‘Thirty Six Streets’. 'Phuong' means a trade guild, and most of the streets begin with the word 'hang' meaning merchandise. This ancient section of the city has long been associated with commerce, and it remains very much so today.<br/><br/>東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
The Lycée Albert-Sarraut was a French lyceum in Hanoi, Vietnam, during the French colonial period.<br/><br/> It was one of 69 high schools founded by the French in their colonies worldwide, named for Albert Sarraut. The school offered high standard academic programs for students between the ages of 11 and 18.
Touby Lyfoung (1917–1979) was a Hmong political and military leader. Born in 1917 in Nong Het, Laos, he became the first Hmong politician to achieve national prominence. During his long career, which began under French colonial rule and extended to the communist takeover in 1975, he supported the Royal Lao Government and American involvement in the Secret War.<br/><br/> Chao Say Kham was the local ruler of Xieng Khouang.<br/><br/> Vang Pao (Hmong: Vaj Pov; 8 December 1929 – 6 January 2011) was a Lieutenant General in the Royal Lao Army and leading figure in the American 'Secret War' in Laos (1964-1973). He was a leader in the Hmong American community in the United States.
東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
Touby Lyfoung (1917–1979) was a Hmong political and military leader. Born in 1917 in Nong Het, Laos, he became the first Hmong politician to achieve national prominence. During his long career, which began under French colonial rule and extended to the communist takeover in 1975, he supported the Royal Lao Government and American involvement in the Secret War.
東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887. Laos was added in 1893 and Kouang-Tchéou-Wan in 1900.<br/><br/>The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902. During World War II, the colony was administered by Vichy France and was under Japanese occupation. Beginning in May 1941, the Viet Minh, a communist army led by Ho Chi Minh, began a revolt against French rule known as the First Indochina War. In 1954, after its defeat at Dien Bien Phu, France withdrew permanently from all parts of Indochina.
French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in southeast Asia. A federation of the three Vietnamese regions, Tonkin (North), Annam (Central), and Cochinchina (South), as well as Cambodia, was formed in 1887.<br/><br/> Laos was added in 1893 and Guangzhouwan (Kouang-Tchéou-Wan) in 1900. The capital was moved from Saigon (in Cochinchina) to Hanoi (Tonkin) in 1902.
Chợ Lớn is a Chinese-influenced section of Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon). It lies on the west bank of the Saigon River, having Bình Tây Market as its central market. Cholon consists of the western half of District 5 as well as several adjoining neighborhoods in District 6.<br/><br/> The Vietnamese name Cholon literally means 'big' (lớn) 'market' (chợ). The Chinese name (and original name) of Cholon is 堤岸 (pronounced Tai-Ngon in Cantonese and Dī'àn in Mandarin, which means 'embankment' (French: quais). The Vietnamese reading of the Chinese name is Đê Ngạn, but this is rarely used. Vietnamese speakers exclusively use the name Chợ Lớn, while Chinese speakers (both inside Vietnam and in China) are the only users of the latter.<br/><br/> In 1778, the Hoa (Chinese minority of Vietnam) living in Biên Hòa had to take refuge in what is now Cholon because they were retaliated against by the Tây Sơn forces for their support of the Nguyễn lords. In 1782, they were again massacred by the Tây Sơn and had to rebuild. They built high embankments against the flows of the river, and called their new settlement Tai-Ngon (meaning 'embankment' in Cantonese).<br/><br/> Cholon was incorporated as a city in 1879, 11 km from Saigon. By the 1930s, it had expanded to the city limit of Saigon. On April 27, 1931, the two cities were merged to form Saigon-Cholon. In 1956, 'Cholon' was dropped from the name and the city became known as Saigon.
Chợ Lớn is a Chinese-influenced section of Ho Chi Minh City (former Saigon). It lies on the west bank of the Saigon River, having Bình Tây Market as its central market. Cholon consists of the western half of District 5 as well as several adjoining neighborhoods in District 6.<br/><br/> The Vietnamese name Cholon literally means 'big' (lớn) 'market' (chợ). The Chinese name (and original name) of Cholon is 堤岸 (pronounced Tai-Ngon in Cantonese and Dī'àn in Mandarin, which means 'embankment' (French: quais). The Vietnamese reading of the Chinese name is Đê Ngạn, but this is rarely used. Vietnamese speakers exclusively use the name Chợ Lớn, while Chinese speakers (both inside Vietnam and in China) are the only users of the latter.<br/><br/> In 1778, the Hoa (Chinese minority of Vietnam) living in Biên Hòa had to take refuge in what is now Cholon because they were retaliated against by the Tây Sơn forces for their support of the Nguyễn lords. In 1782, they were again massacred by the Tây Sơn and had to rebuild. They built high embankments against the flows of the river, and called their new settlement Tai-Ngon (meaning 'embankment' in Cantonese).<br/><br/> Cholon was incorporated as a city in 1879, 11 km from Saigon. By the 1930s, it had expanded to the city limit of Saigon. On April 27, 1931, the two cities were merged to form Saigon-Cholon. In 1956, 'Cholon' was dropped from the name and the city became known as Saigon.
In September 1940, during World War II, the newly created regime of Vichy France granted Japan's demands for military access to Tonkin with the invasion of French Indochina (or Vietnam Expedition). This allowed Japan better access to China in the Second Sino-Japanese War against the forces of Chiang Kai-shek, but it was also part of Japan's strategy for dominion over the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere.<br/><br/> On 9 March 1945, with France liberated, Germany in retreat, and the United States ascendant in the Pacific, Japan decided to take complete control of Indochina. The Japanese launched the Second French Indochina Campaign. The Japanese kept power in Indochina until the news of their government's surrender came through in August.
東法會, Dōng fǎ huì - French Indochina (French: Indochine française; Vietnamese: Đông Dương thuộc Pháp, frequently abbreviated to Đông Pháp) was part of the French colonial empire in Southeast Asia.