During the period of French rule of Indochina (1887-1954) Vietnam consisted of three regions: Tonkin-the rice-growing area of the Red River valley of northern Vietnam; Cochinchina-the rice-growing area of the Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam; and Annam-the connective between the two regions, consisting of a narrow coastal plain and highlands.
Under French rule, French citizens and Vietnamese supporters of the French (mostly Roman Catholics), were granted large tracts of land, confiscated or obtained in some manner from its traditional occupants and owners.