National flag of the Empire of Vietnam
Imperial Flag of Vietnam
Emperor Bao Dai of Vietnam
When Imperial Japanese forces first moved into the area that is now Vietnam, Laos and Combodia these historic states were under the colonial control of France as French Indochina. The French government at that time, based in Vichy, recognized by everyone as the legitimate government of France, gave permission for Japan to use military bases in Vietnam. Toward the end of the war this government was dissolved, the Allies withdrew recognition and Germany occupied all of France. In the colonial period, France had broken up Vietnam into three regions; Tonkin, Annam and Cochinchine. The Empire of Japan, just as they supported the restoration of independent monarchies in Laos and Cambodia, did the same in Vietnam. In 1945 the reigning monarch, Emperor Bao Dai, declared the independence of the Empire of Vietnam from France and with Japanese support reunited the whole country for the first time since the establishment of French colonial rule. Many loyal monarchists who supported Vietnamese independence were pro-Japanese, especially the Nguyen prince Marquis Cuong De, who many expected to become the new emperor. However, he had no ambition for the throne and was dedicated only to the independence of his country and was happy to support the reigning monarch, Emperor Bao Dai, as the ruler of Vietnam. Unfortunately, mostly because of their bigotry against Japan and anyone who associated with Japan, the Allies refused to recognize Vietnamese independence with disastrous results for everyone. In August of 1945 the communists of Ho Chi Minh, supported in those early days by the United States in what was a terrible mistake for local and American interests, rose up in revolution and forced Emperor Bao Dai to abdicate, destroying the Empire of Vietnam, ending the reign of the Nguyen Dynasty and killing the last chance for a free and united Vietnam that would be modern while still maintaining the traditional culture and values of Vietnam.
Imperial Japanese Army enters Saigon
Marquis Cuong De, Prince of Vietnam
Imperial Japanese Army marches in Saigon
Prime Minister of the Empire of Vietnam Tran Trong Kim
Empress Nam Phuong
Emperor Bao Dai in Hue City during the war
Prime Minister Tran Trong Kim
HM Emperor Bao Dai of Vietnam
It is also, perhaps, worth mentioning that the relationship between the Nguyen Dynasty of Vietnam and the Empire of Japan go back quite far. For example, in the Edo period the Shogun of Japan traded and corresponded with the Lord Nguyen Hoang who ruled southern Vietnam. Nguyen Hoang was the founder of the family line that would eventually reunite and rule the whole of Vietnam under Emperor Gia Long in 1802. There was a busy trade relationship between the Nguyen and Japan for many years before Japan adopted the policy of isolation.
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