The French name for a region in Southeast Asia consisting on the modern countries of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia; this region was conquered and colonized by many outsiders, including the Chinese, the French, and the Japanese; by the early 20th century, French colonists exploited native Vietnamese labor to cultivate rubber, rice, and tea; French troops maintained order and crushed potential revolts, while a small core of French bureaucrats governed the country, assisted by native Vietnamese civil service officials

Indochina, or the Indochinese Peninsula, is a region in Southeast Asia. It lies roughly east of India, south of China, culturally influenced by both—hence the name (more specifically Vietnam harnessing the Chinese influence and Cambodia, Laos and Thailand the Indian influence).