Former French protectorate, mainland Southeast Asia, now constituting the greater part of northern Vietnam.
It was part of China from the 2nd century BC until the Vietnamese won independence in the 10th century AD. The French seized the area in 1883, making it a protectorate; it was joined with other regions controlled by France in 1887 to form French Indochina . It was the chief focus in the area of anti-French fighting after World War II.