More than 18 centuries later, a new generation of Vietnamese found themselves under the heel of a new oppressor: the French. As might be expected, there were many attempts to resist French colonialism. One of the first occurred during the brief reign of emperor Ham Nghi (1884-85). Ham Nghi came to the throne at just 12 years of age. His entourage of advisors were mostly anti-French, particularly his regent, Ton That Thuyet. For a year Ham Nghi’s officials criticised and condemned French rule in Vietnam. By mid-1885 the French had had enough so raided the royal palace, forcing Ton That Thuyet and a few others to whisk the young emperor to safety. Hidden in the forests of Annam, the fugitives heard news that China had signed the Treaty of Tientsin with the French, relinquishing all Chinese claims on Vietnam. With no prospect of help from the north, the Vietnamese confronted the specter of a French take-over alone. In July 1885 Ton That Thuyet and his supporters formed Can Vuong (‘Loyalty to the King’). They hoped to create a nationalist resistance movement, with the young Ham Nghi as its figurehead and rallying point. From his jungle hiding place at Van Xa, the deposed young emperor issued a decree of resistance:
We have been forced to flee the French and now live in great shame. With one united mind, body and spirit, we shall resist. All Vietnamese shall fight back. Do you fear death more than you love your country? Will you live under the shadows of the French, or will you join us? Come and live in the jungle. Obey our righteous appeal for freedom … Perhaps with Heaven’s assistance, we shall be able to turn chaos into order, danger into peace, and finally retrieve our entire country.
Can Vuong survived for a decade or so. It never managed to spark a significant anti-French uprising or gain widespread support, but its evasive guerrilla tactics made it difficult to deal with. Can Vuong’s mission – to drive French soldiers from Vietnam – proved difficult. Though there were barely a thousand French troops in Annam, almost all were stationed in the coastal citadels, which could be easily defended from attacks. So rather than attack the French, Can Vuong turned its attentions to central Vietnam’s Christian converts. The second half of 1885 saw at least four significant massacres of Vietnamese Christians. Some parts of Annam fell into a virtual civil war between royalist Can Vuong and local Christians. It took weeks for the French to respond to the unfolding crisis in Annam, which they did by reinforcing the coastal cities and marching 4,000 soldiers south from Tonkin. Meanwhile, the French installed a new emperor – Ham Nghi’s more subservient brother, Dong Khanh – hoping this might undermine support for Can Vuong.