The French conquest of Vietnam1 (1858–1885) was a series of military expeditions that pitted the Second French Empire, later the French Third Republic, against the Vietnamese empire of Đại Nam in the mid-late 19th century. Its end and results were victories for the French as they defeated the Vietnamese and their Chinese allies in 1885, the incorporation of Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and finally established French rules over constituent territories of French Indochina over Mainland Southeast Asia in 1887.

Haiphong is the third-largest city in Vietnam and is the principal port city of the Red River Delta. The municipality has an area of 1,526.52 km2 (589.39 sq mi), consisting of 8 urban districts and 7 rural districts. Two of the rural districts cover islands in the South China Sea: Bạch Long Vĩ and Cát Hải. It has a population of 2,359,000 in 2021. The city's economy has strength in manufacturing, as evident by large industrial parks and numerous smaller traditional handicraft villages. Historically, Haiphong is the first place in Vietnam and Mainland Southeast Asia to get electricity.