republic · Mainland Southeast Asia

Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina

1946 CE – 1948 CE · capital Saigon

A French-sponsored separatist republic in southern Vietnam, set up in 1946 to keep the south apart from Ho Chi Minh's government.

Origins

As France returned to Indochina after the Second World War, High Commissioner Thierry d'Argenlieu proclaimed the Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina on 1 June 1946, while negotiations with Ho Chi Minh's Democratic Republic of Vietnam were taking place in France. Its first president was Nguyen Van Thinh.

Rule and society

The republic, based in Saigon, was dominated by French interests and a small southern Francophile elite. It had little popular support and was denounced by Vietnamese nationalists as a French puppet. Nguyen Van Thinh, unable to govern effectively, committed suicide in November 1946, and his successors were equally weak.

Decline and legacy

As France changed strategy to work with Bao Dai, the republic was renamed the Provisional Government of South Vietnam in 1947 and in 1948 merged into the Provisional Central Government of Vietnam. In 1949 Cochinchina was formally attached to the State of Vietnam.

Lineage

Autonomous Republic of CochinchinaProvisional Central Government of Vietnam 1948 CE – 1949 CE

Connections (2)

More states of Mainland Southeast Asia →

Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/autonomous-republic-of-cochinchina
MLA
“Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/autonomous-republic-of-cochinchina. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/autonomous-republic-of-cochinchina.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Autonomous Republic of Cochinchina’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/autonomous-republic-of-cochinchina (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻