After a preliminary treaty in 1947, on 5 June 1948, the Hạ Long Bay Accords (Accords de la baie d’Along) recognized the independence of this government partly replacing the Tonkin (Northern Vietnam), Annam (Central Vietnam) and associated to France within the French Union and the Indochinese Federation then including the neighboring Kingdom of Laos and Kingdom of Cambodia.

Former Emperor Bảo Đại, whom the French wanted to bring back to power as a political alternative to Ho Chi Minh, insisted that all Vietnam should be reunited before he took office as "chief of State".

[2] Vietnam officially became independent and unified as an associated state within the French Union with a treaty on 8 March 1949, that took effect on 14 June 1949 and was completed on 2 February the following year.

During the only year of its existence, the Provisional Central Government had very limited means, and was denounced by the communist Viet Minh as a puppet state.

The Vietnamese situation remained deadlocked for over a year, as Bảo Đại refused to return to Vietnam and take office as head of state until the country was fully reunited.