Treaty of Huế (1883)
[1] The Nguyễn dynasty agreed to the evacuation of twelve inland forts defending the river, the destruction of their ammunition and the removal of the barrages.
At Huế, Harmand presented a brutal ultimatum to the Vietnamese court, written in a style reminiscent of the Melian dialogue of Thucydides and couched in terms that brooked no compromise.
They must accept the treaty in full, or the terrible vengeance of France would fall upon them: If we wanted to, we could destroy your dynasty root and branch and seize for ourselves the entire kingdom, as we have done in Cochinchina.
To ensure there were no second thoughts, a permanent French garrison would occupy the Thuận An forts and the Đèo Ngang mountain chain on the border between Annam and Tonkin (Article 3).
At the same time the northern provinces of Nghệ An, Thanh Hóa and Hà Tĩnh were transferred to Tonkin, where they would come under direct French oversight.
In return, the French undertook to drive out the Black Flag Army from Tonkin and to guarantee freedom of commerce on the Red River (Article 23).
La France fournira des ingénieurs pour faire exécuter les travaux d'art, tels que ponts et tunnels.
Une ligne télégraphique sera établie sur ce trajet et exploitée par des employés français.
Une partie des taxes sera attribuée au Gouvernement annamite, qui concédera, en outre, le terrain nécessaire aux stations.Art.
C'est par l'intermédiaire des Résidents seuls que les fonctionnaires et employés français de toute catégorie, appartenant aux services généraux, tels que postes et télégraphes, trésor, douanes, travaux publics, écoles françaises, etc., etc., pourront avoir des rapports officiels avec les autorités annamites.Art.
Au Tonkin, et dans les limites des ports ouverts de l'Annam, ils pourront circuler, s'établir et posséder librement.
Les sommes prélevées sur ces recettes ne pourront pas être inférieures à 2 millions de francs.
These forts are called in the Annamese language Ha Duon, Tran Hai, Thay Duong, Trang Lang, Hap Chau, Lo Thau and Luy Moi.
Within the above limits, the Annamese government shall declare open to the commerce of all nations the ports of Tourane and Xuan Day, as well as that of Qui Nhơn.
The Government of His Majesty the King of Annam undertakes to repair, at the public expense and upon terms agreed by the two High Contracting Parties, the main road from Hanoi to Saigon, and to maintain it in good condition so that it can carry wheeled traffic.
The Resident of France at Huế will enjoy the right of a private and personal audience with His Majesty the King of Annam, who may not refuse to receive him unless he has a convincing reason.
Subject to their oversight, the native mandarins at all ranks shall continue to govern and administer them, but they may be replaced at the demand of the French authorities if they display any ill will towards them.
France shall maintain military posts along the Red River, for as long as such precautions seem required, to ensure freedom of navigation, and may also erect permanent fortifications wherever she thinks advantageous.
France undertakes to guarantee henceforth the integrity of the realms of His Majesty the King of Annam, to defend this Sovereign against all external aggression and internal rebellion, and to uphold his just complaints against foreigners.
France will also assume the sole responsibility for driving from Tonkin the bands known as the Black Flags, so that trade along the Red River can be carried out safely and freely.
Subject to the restrictions arising from the present convention, His Majesty the King of Annam shall continue to direct the internal administration of his realm as in the past.
The Mexican piastre and the silver coins current in French Cochinchina shall be legal tender throughout the realm of Annam, alongside the Annamese national currency.
They shall also study all the questions relative to the grant of monopolies in Tonkin and to concessions for mining, forestry, salt extraction and other similar industries.
This was not the view of the French foreign ministry, which believed that it would be safer and more convenient for France to govern Vietnam indirectly, by means of a protectorate.
Ignoring the reservations of the foreign ministry, the French authorities in Tonkin attempted to enforce the Harmand Treaty during the autumn of 1883, but with little success.
Prince Hoàng Kế Viêm continued to garrison Sơn Tây with a large Vietnamese army, in contravention of Article 4 of the treaty, and the civil authorities cooperated with the French only grudgingly.
The court at Huế only modified its recalcitrant attitude after Admiral Courbet inflicted a decisive defeat on Liu Yung-fu and Hoang Ke Viem at Sơn Tây in December 1883.
[7] In January 1884, the French diplomat Arthur Tricou visited Huế to obtain the ratification of the Harmand treaty from the Vietnamese government.
Aware that the victory at Sơn Tây put the French in a strong position, Tricou hinted that some of the more objectionable clauses of the Harmand treaty might be revised if the Vietnamese demonstrated their sincerity.
Significantly, it also said that it 'trusted in the goodwill of the French Republic that some of its provisions would be softened at a later date' (s'en remettant au bon vouloir de la République quant aux adoucissements qui pourraient y être ultérieurement apportés).
