Page "French Indochina" Paragraph 9

Sailing south, De Genouilly then captured the poorly defended city of Saigon on 18 February 1859.

On 13 April 1862, the Vietnamese government was forced to cede the territories of Biên Hòa, Gia Định and Dinh Tuong to France.

De Genouilly was criticized for his actions and was replaced by Admiral Page in November, 1859, with instructions to obtain a treaty protecting the Catholic faith in Vietnam, but not to try to obtain territorial gains.

However, French policy four years later saw a reversal ; French territory in Viet Nam continued to accumulate.

In 1862, France obtained concessions from Emperor Tự Đức, ceding three treaty ports in Annam and Tonkin, and all of Cochinchina, the latter being formally declared a French territory in 1864.

In 1867 the provinces of Chau Doc, Ha Tien and Vĩnh Long were added to French-controlled territory.