Domain of the Crown

{{about|the concept in Vietnamese history|the general concept|Crown land}} {{Short description|Historical territory in Vietnam}} {{Infobox former subdivision |conventional_long_name = Domain of the Crown |native_name = {{native name|vi|Hoàng triều Cương thổ}}<br />{{native name|fr|Domaine de la Couronne}}<br />皇朝疆土 |subdivision = Collection of autonomous territories |nation = the [[State of Vietnam]] (a part of [[French Indochina]] until 1954) |title_leader = Chief of State |year_leader1 = 1950–1955 |government_type = Autonomous administrative divisions |leader1 = [[Bảo Đại]] |capital = [[Da Lat|Đà Lạt]] |national_motto =  |national_anthem =  |political_subdiv =  |today = {{flag|Vietnam}} |image_flag = Flag of South Vietnam.svg |image_flag2 = Flag of Bao Dai (1948-1955).svg |flag_type = Top: [[Flag of South Vietnam|National flag]]<br />Bottom: [[List of flags of Vietnam|Imperial standard]] |image_coat = Coat of arms of the Domain of the Crown.svg  |symbol_type = [[Emblem of Vietnam#List|Coat of arms]]  |year_start = 1950 |year_end = 1955 |event_start = Autonomy granted |date_start = 15 April |event1 = [[Battle of Dien Bien Phu|Battle of Điện Biên Phủ]] |date_event1 = 13 March – 7 May 1954 |event2 = [[1954 Geneva Conference|Vietnamese division]] |date_event2 = 21 July 1954 |event_end =  |date_end = 24 March |event_pre = |date_pre = |event_post = |date_post = |era = [[Cold War]]  |p1 = Montagnard country of South Indochina |flag_p1 = Flag of the Montagnard country of South Indochina.svg |p2 = Mường Autonomous Territory |flag_p2 = Flag of Muong Autonomous Region.svg |p3 = Thái Autonomous Territory |flag_p3 = Flag of Tai Autonomous Territory.svg |p4 = Mèo Autonomous Territory |flag_p4 = Hmong flag.svg |p5 = Nùng Autonomous Territory |flag_p5 = Flag of the Nùng Autonomous Territory.svg |p6 = Thổ Autonomous Territory |flag_p6 = Flag of the Tay people (1947-1954).svg |s1 = Hòa Bình Province |flag_s1 = Flag of North Vietnam (1945–1955).svg |s2 = Thái-Mèo Autonomous Region |flag_s2 = Flag of North Vietnam (1945–1955).svg |s3 = Việt Bắc Autonomous Region |flag_s3 = Flag of North Vietnam (1945–1955).svg |s4 = Hải Ninh Province |flag_s4 = Flag of North Vietnam (1945–1955).svg |s5 = Darlac |flag_s5 = Flag of South Vietnam.svg |s6 = Đồng Nai Thượng |flag_s6 = Flag of South Vietnam.svg |s7 = Kontum |flag_s7 = Flag of South Vietnam.svg |s8 = Lâm Viên |flag_s8 = Flag of South Vietnam.svg |s9 = Pleiku |flag_s9 = Flag of South Vietnam.svg |image_map = Domain of the Crown within French Indo-China before 1954 (modern names).png |image_map_caption = The Domain of the Crown, coloured yellow, within [[French Indochina]] before 1954 (note the modern provincial names and boundaries). |Divisions = [[Subdivisions of Vietnam|Autonomous territories, provinces, districts, communes]] |area_lost1 = Crown domains in ''[[Northern Vietnam|Bắc phần]]'' ceded |lost_to1 = [[North Vietnam]] |area_lost_year1 = 1954 }} The '''Domain of the Crown''' ({{langx|vi|Hoàng triều Cương thổ}}; [[Chữ Hán]]: 皇朝疆土; {{langx|fr|Domaine de la Couronne}}; Modern Vietnamese: ''Đất của vua'') was originally the [[Nguyễn dynasty]]'s geopolitical concept for its protectorates and principalities where the [[Vietnamese people|ethnic Kinh]] did not make up the majority, later it became a type of administrative unit of the [[State of Vietnam]].<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng">Anh Thái Phượng. ''Trăm núi ngàn sông: Tập I''. Gretna, LA: Đường Việt Hải ngoại, 2003. p. 99 {{in lang|vi}}.</ref> It was officially established on 15 April 1950.<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/> In the areas of the Domain of the Crown, the Chief of State [[Bảo Đại]] was still officially (and legally) titled as the "Emperor of the Nguyễn dynasty".<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi">Lê Đình Chi. ''Người Thượng Miền Nam Việt Nam.'' [[Gardena, California|Gardena]], [[California]]: Văn Mới, 2006. pp. 401–449 {{in lang|vi}}.</ref>

The Domain of the Crown was established to preserve French interests in French Indochina and to limit Vietnamese immigration into predominantly minority areas, halting Vietnamese influence in these regions while preserving the influences of both French colonists and indigenous rulers.

After the [[1954 Geneva Conference]], the Domain of the Crown lost considerable amounts of territory, as the entirety of ''[[Northern Vietnam|Bắc phần]]'' was ceded to the [[North Vietnam|Democratic Republic of Vietnam]], reducing it only to ''[[Central Highlands (Vietnam)|Tây Nguyên]]''. On 11 March 1955 Prime Minister [[Ngô Đình Diệm]] dissolved the Domain of the Crown (officially 24 March) reducing both the power of the Chief of State Bảo Đại and the French directly annexing these areas into the State of Vietnam as the crown regions still in South Vietnam would later become ''Cao nguyên Trung phần'' in the [[South Vietnam|Republic of Vietnam]].<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/><ref name="Mocban-South-Vietnam-administrative-divisions">{{cite web|url= https://mocban.vn/en/about-us/significant-collections/#2ed77c7ea1169d011b4e6674590c3125|title= Significant collections § FONDS OF THE TÒA ĐẠI BIỂU CHÁNH PHỦ TẠI TRUNG NGUYÊN TRUNG PHẦN OR THE OFFICE OF THE GOVERNMENT'S REPRESENTATIVE IN CENTRAL MIDLANDS.|date=2021|access-date=31 March 2021|author= Royal Woodblocks of Nguyễn Dynasty – World documentary heritage|website=mocban.vn|publisher= The National Archives Center No. 4 (State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam)|language=en}}</ref>

== Background == [[File:Biệt Điện Bảo Đại.jpg|thumb|left|The "Bảo Đại Palace" in [[Buôn Ma Thuột]], one of the residences of the Chief of State located in the Domain of the Crown.]]

During the [[Nguyễn dynasty]] period (1802–1945) [[List of ethnic groups in Vietnam|ethnic minorities]] retained a level of autonomy and their tribal societies and principalities were a part of what was considered to be the "Domain of the Crown" as an informal division.<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/><ref name="Báo-SÀI-GÒN-GIẢI-PHÓNG">{{cite web|url= https://m.sggp.org.vn/hoang-trieu-cuong-tho-nghia-la-gi-127899.html|title= Hoàng triều cương thổ nghĩa là gì?|date=22 October 2004|accessdate=13 April 2021|author= PGS. TS. Lê Trung Hoa|publisher= Báo SÀI GÒN GIẢI PHÓNG|language=vi}}</ref>

This Domain included the Montagnard territories of Central Vietnam. The [[Champa]] Kingdom and the [[Chams]] in the lowlands of Central Vietnam were traditional suzerains whom the [[Montagnard (Vietnam)|Montagnards]] in the highlands acknowledged as their lords, while autonomy was held by the Montagnards.<ref>{{cite book|author=Oscar Salemink|title=The Ethnography of Vietnam's Central Highlanders: A Historical Contextualization, 1850–1990|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_zKFyHlBk0C&pg=PA35|year=2003|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2579-9|pages=35–336}}</ref> After 1945, concept of "[[Nam tiến]]" (the southward expansion of Vietnam) was celebrated by Vietnamese scholars.<ref>{{cite thesis |last= Zottoli |first= Brian A. |date=2011 |title=Conceptualizing Southern Vietnamese History from the 15th to 18th Centuries: Competition along the Coasts from Guangdong to Cambodia |type=A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (History) in The University of Michigan |url=http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/89821/bria?sequence=1 |page=5 }}</ref> The ''Pays Montagnard du Sud-Indochinois'' (or "Montagnard country of South Indochina") was the name of the Central Highlands from 1946 under [[French Indochina]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Oscar Salemink|title=The Ethnography of Vietnam's Central Highlanders: A Historical Contextualization, 1850–1990|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_zKFyHlBk0C&pg=PA155|year=2003|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2579-9|pages=155–}}</ref> Up until French rule, the Central Highlands was almost never entered by the Vietnamese since they viewed it as a savage (Mọi) populated area with fierce animals like [[tiger]]s, "poisoned water" and "evil malevolent spirits." The Vietnamese expressed interest in the land after the French transformed it into a profitable plantation area to grow crops on,<ref name="M.D.2013">{{cite book|author=Lawrence H. Climo, M.D.|title=The Patient Was Vietcong: An American Doctor in the Vietnamese Health Service, 1966–1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zQxWAgAAQBAJ&q=moi+savages+vietnamese&pg=PA227|date=20 December 2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-7899-6|pages=227–}}</ref> in addition to the natural resources from the forests, minerals and rich earth and realisation of its crucial geographical importance.<ref name="M.D.2013-2">{{cite book|author=Lawrence H. Climo, M.D.|title=The Patient Was Vietcong: An American Doctor in the Vietnamese Health Service, 1966–1967|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zQxWAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA228|date=20 December 2013|publisher=McFarland|isbn=978-0-7864-7899-6|pages=228–}}</ref>

Furthermore, the Domain would include areas in Northern Vietnam populated by various ethnic minorities, primarily [[Tai peoples]]. Even though the upland Tai had stronger ethnic and cultural ties to [[Laos]], [[Sip Song Chau Tai]] was incorporated into the [[Tonkin (French protectorate)|French protectorate of Tonkin]]—and therefore French Indochina—after the year 1888. This was arranged by the French explorer and colonial representative [[Auguste Pavie]] who signed a treaty with [[Đèo Văn Trị]], the White Tai lord of Muang Lay ([[Lai Châu]]) on 7 April 1889.<ref>{{cite book |author=Jean Michaud |date=2000 |chapter=A Historical Panorama of the Montagnards in Northern Vietnam under French Rule |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gVtcAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA59 |editor-last=Michaud |editor-first=Jean |title=Turbulent Times and Enduring Peoples: Mountain Minorities in the South-East Asian Massif |publisher=Curzon Press |page=59 |isbn=0-7007-1180-5 |quote=[Pavie] signed with Deo Van Tri .. a Protectorate treaty on 7 April 1889 ... The hereditary leader of the Sip Song Chau Tai was from now on to be referred to in French official documents as the ''Seigneur de Lai Chau'', the Lord of Lai Chau, after the name of the town lying at the heart of his domain.}}</ref> Thereby the Sip Song Chau Tai accepted the French overlordship, while the colonial power promised to respect the positions of the Tai lords and their autonomy in internal affairs.

Following the [[Abdication of Bảo Đại|abolition of the Nguyễn dynasty]] and the subsequent [[Proclamation of Independence of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam]] in 1945 the French sought to regain the pre-war status quo in French Indochina after the [[surrender of Japan]] and tried reinstalling Bảo Đại.<ref name="Bảo-Đại-puppet">{{Cite book|last=United States. Department of Defense|title=The Pentagon papers : the Defense Department history of United States decisionmaking on Vietnam / 1.|date=1971|publisher=Beacon Pr|others=Mike Gravel|isbn=0-8070-0527-4|volume=1|location=Boston|oclc=643945604}}</ref> After months of negotiations with French President [[Vincent Auriol]], he finally signed the [[Élysée Accords]] on 9 March 1949, which led to the establishment of the [[State of Vietnam]] with Bảo Đại as Chief of State.<ref name="Bảo-Đại-puppet"/> However, the country was still only partially autonomous, with France initially retaining effective control of the army and foreign relations.<ref name="Bảo-Đại-puppet"/> Bảo Đại himself stated in 1950: "What they call a Bảo Đại solution turned out to be just a French solution... the situation in Indochina is getting worse every day".<ref name="Bảo-Đại-puppet"/>

== History == [[File:Giấy căn-cước - Hoàng triều Cương thổ (Anhxua.net) 03.jpg|thumb|right|An identity document (''Giấy căn-cước'') issued to a resident of the Domain of the Crown. These identity documents were separate from the ones issued by other citizens of the State of Vietnam. All inhabitants of the crown domains aged 15 to 60 were required to have this identity document.]]

The Central Highland tribes were conquered by Franco-Vietnamese forces from 1887 to 1902. In order to meet the demand of the rubber market during the [[First World War]], under industrial brokerage pressures to open up the Central Highlands, the French colonial government permitted establishment of colonial rubber plantations in 1916. By 1941, 42,000 Kinh and 5,100 French colonists had made the area their residence. There was some serious Montagnard revolts against French colonialists. Colonialism in Central Highlands nevertheless was halted during the [[Second World War]], when the fascist [[Petain]] regime and its Decoux administration of Indochina attempted to boast the native Montagnards' warrior culture and recruit indigenous loyalism, first to reject Vietnamese nationalist claim to the region, second to circumvent indigenous liberation, third to prevent Japanese access. After the Second World War, worries about rising nationalist movements in Cambodia and Vietnam and [[Vietminh]] potential takeover of the highlands prompted France to negotiate and establish several autonomous entities assigned to indigenous minority peoples to retain direct French control under the camouflage of granting independence.<ref>{{cite book|author=Oscar Salemink|title=The Ethnography of Vietnam's Central Highlanders: A Historical Contextualization, 1850–1990|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2_zKFyHlBk0C&pg=PA35|year=2003|publisher=University of Hawaii Press|isbn=978-0-8248-2579-9|pages=132–146}}</ref>

On 30 May 1949, the French delegated the authority to manage the Central Highlands from the [[Montagnard country of South Indochina]] to the [[Provisional Central Government of Vietnam]].<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/> Chief of State Bảo Đại separated the Central Highlands from the central government and established a special administrative system called the Domain of the Crown within the State of Vietnam as [[crownlands]] of Bảo Đại through ''Dụ số 6/QT/TG'' on 15 April 1950.<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/> The Montagnard country of South Indochina was renamed to the "Crown Domain of the Southern Higlander Country" (''Domaine de la couronne du pays montagnards du Sud'') or PMS.<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM">{{cite web|url= http://indochine.uqam.ca/en/historical-dictionary/1133-pays-montagnards-du-sud-pms.html|title= PAYS MONTAGNARDS DU SUD (PMS).|date=2021|accessdate=17 April 2021|author= Goscha Christopher|publisher= [[Université du Québec à Montréal]] (UQÀM) |language=en}}</ref> In the crown areas, Bảo Đại held both the titles of "Chief of State" (國長, ''Quốc trưởng'') and "Emperor" (皇帝, ''Hoàng Đế'').<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/> In Central Vietnam (Trung phần) the Domain of the Crown was assigned 5 provinces and in Northern Vietnam (Bắc phần) it received 11.<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/>

The leader of the Domain of the Crown was entitled the ''Khâm mạng Hoàng triều'' and the first ''Khâm mạng Hoàng triều'' was [[Nguyễn Đệ]], who was previously general manager for the Chief of State.<ref name="Halodalat-Lịch-Sử-Đà-Lạt">{{cite web|url= https://halodalat.com.vn/hoang-trieu-cuong-tho/|title= Hoàng Triều Cương Thổ Là Gì? Giải Mã Lịch Sử Đà Lạt. 7 Tháng Tám, 2020 Bởi Nguyen Linh Đã có lần bạn nghe đến cụm từ "Hoàng triều Cương thổ" nhưng lại không biết cụm từ này nghĩa là gì? Đừng lo, trong bài viết hôm này Halo Đà Lạt sẽ cùng bạn giải mã một phần của lịch sử Đà Lạt này nhé!|date= 7 August 2020|accessdate= 13 April 2021|author= Nguyen Linh|publisher= Halo Đà Lạt (halodalat.com.vn)|language= vi|archive-date= 22 November 2022|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20221122113021/https://halodalat.com.vn/hoang-trieu-cuong-tho/|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1">{{cite web|url= https://nhandan.com.vn/baothoinay-hosotulieu/hoang-de-man-trieu-va-hoang-trieu-cuong-tho-619761/|title= Hoàng đế mãn triều và "Hoàng triều Cương thổ".|date=9 October 2020|accessdate=13 April 2021|author= UÔNG THÁI BIỂU|publisher= [[Nhân Dân]] ([[Communist Party of Vietnam]]) |language=vi}}</ref> Despite this, all actual decisions regarding the administration of Cao nguyên were made by the [[List of administrators of the French protectorate of Annam|Commissioner of Annam]] (''Khâm sứ Trung Kỳ'', Resident-Superior of Annam).<ref name="Halodalat-Lịch-Sử-Đà-Lạt"/>

According to the agreement between French President [[Vincent Auriol]] and the State of Vietnam, after the French ceded control over the Montagnard country of South Indochina to the Vietnamese, the autonomous status of the ethnic minorities would be subject to separate regulations and would continue to fall under special protection (''statut particulier'') from the French Government.<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/><ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> Therefore, when promulgating a law, the government of the State of Vietnam must have an agreement from France in order to pass it.<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/><ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> The crown domains in the central highlands area continued to be administered through a French special delegate and not a representative of the State of Vietnam.<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM"/>

According to a letter written by the French President Vincent Auriol the areas populated by the ethnic minorities should be seen as "the [[private property]] of the Emperor of Annam" rather than belonging to the Vietnamese state.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> According to the book ''Cựu hoàng Bảo Đại'' written by [[Hoàng Trọng Miên]] the Domain of the Crown was created by Bảo Đại in response to a lament uttered by his mother [[Hoàng Thị Cúc|Empress Dowager Từ Cung]], where he stated: "Well, at some point, my mother and daughter will have no land to dwell in this country!".<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> In his own memoires Bảo Đại wrote that the creation of the Domain of the Crown was suggested to him by [[Léon Pignon]] in [[Paris]] who argued that the lands of ethnic minorities were never directly administered by the imperial court of the Nguyễn dynasty and could be assigned to the Chief of State in order to help the unification of Vietnam.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> Bảo Đại claimed that he accepted the proposal because he believed that he could help in the ethnic minority tribes in their development and enjoy the serene environment of the territories.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/>

''Dụ số 6/QT/TG'' also specified [[Đà Lạt]] as the capital city of the Domain of the Crown.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> Đà Lạt was created as special resort city and the French hoped to develop it into "a European-style city in the Orient" that would ease the homesickness of the French colonists.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> Đà Lạt was ambitiously built with many large architectural projects in the hopes of making it the capital city of French Indochina by the 1940s.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> The return of Bảo Đại made Đà Lạt change its face as the capital city of Domain of the Crown.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> On 10 November 1950 Bảo Đại issued ''Dụ số 4/QT-TG'' which separated the administration of the city from Lâm Viên Province giving it the status of "independent township" (Thành thị xã độc lập) where the mayor would be directly appointed by the Chief of State of Vietnam.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> Only two mayors were appointed during the Domain of the Crown period, namely [[Trần Đình Quế]] and [[Cao Minh Hiệu]].<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-2">{{cite web|url= https://nhandan.com.vn/baothoinay-hosotulieu/hoang-de-man-trieu-va-hoang-trieu-cuong-tho-620145/|title= Hoàng đế mãn triều và "Hoàng triều Cương thổ".|date=12 October 2020|accessdate=13 April 2021|author= UÔNG THÁI BIỂU|publisher= [[Nhân Dân]] ([[Communist Party of Vietnam]]) |language=vi}}</ref> Đà Lạt was also the headquarters of the ''[[Service de documentation extérieure et de contre-espionnage]]'' (SDECE) as well as [[United Kingdom|British]] and [[United States|American]] intelligence services such as the [[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]] during this period and Bảo Đại had to report to the SDECE.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-2"/>

On 21 May 1951, Chief of State Bảo Đại issued ''Quy chế 16'' which was written to promulgate the creation of a “special regulation” designed to provide more Montagnard participation in local affairs in these provinces, all the while these regulations reaffirmed the "[[eminent rights]]" of the State of Vietnam.<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM"/> ''Quy chế 16'' contained the following regulations related to highland areas of the Domain of the Crown:<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/><ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/>

# The interests of the State of Vietnam should be aligned with interests of the ethnic minorities (Sắc tộc thiểu số). # Cao nguyên belongs to the Chief of State. # Montagnards need to participate in development of Cao nguyên. # The government of the State of Vietnam should respect the tribal system and the culture of the Montagnards. # The establishment of an economic council for Cao nguyên (Hội đồng Kinh tế). # The establishment of an Upper Court of Customs for Cao nguyên (Tòa án Phong tục Thượng). # To guarantee land ownership of the Montagnards. # To develop the structure of [[social services]] in Cao nguyên, such as healthcare and education. # The establishment of a separate military unit for the Montagnards with priority given to serving in and protecting Cao nguyên.

These regulations were heavily criticised by the Vietnamese for giving too much power to the French, especially after an economic council was established that was heavily influenced by French planters working to preserve their interests.<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/> Furthermore, the Domain of the Crown was criticised for limiting [[Kinh people|Kinh]] immigration and maintaining the French colonial structures and administrators, as the French President Vincent Auriol retained a lot of powers in the domain.<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/> In the provinces of [[Kontum]], [[Pleiku]], and [[Darlac]] the old French colonial administrators remained in power.<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/> In fact, in the central highlands the ''Khâm mạng'' was Colonel [[Pierre Didelot]], the husband of [[Agnès Nguyễn Hữu Hào]] making him the brother-in-law of empress consort [[Nam Phương]].<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/><ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/>

After enacting ''Quy chế 16'', Bảo Đại and High Commissioner Léon Pignon attended a ceremony in [[Buôn Mê Thuột]], Đắk Lắk Province, to receive the symbol of the lands of the "Domain of the Crown" and took the oath of the chiefs of the Southern Montagnards.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> In his book "The Dragon of Vietnam" (Con rồng Việt Nam) written by Bảo Đại as his memoirs, he recorded: "Personally, I am worshiped by them, for the Emperor is the king of the gods who protects their forests and plains".<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/>

In the Domain of the Crown all aspects of society were strictly managed.<ref name="Halodalat-Lịch-Sử-Đà-Lạt"/> All activities from building houses to the felling trees required a government license to be carried out.<ref name="Halodalat-Lịch-Sử-Đà-Lạt"/>

According to records from June 1953 the imperial government of the Domain of the Crown sought to develop the societies of the ethnic minorities into a more modernised state and increase their population through development.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/> While the central government of the State of Vietnam hoped to use the more sparsely populated crown lands to settle people from the overpopulated areas of Central and Northern Vietnam from.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/>

The headquarters of the Chief of State Bảo Đại was situated in a building entitled "Palace I" (Dinh I), this is a palace of 60 hectares created in 1940 using French money and was designed and constructed by [[Robert Clément Bougery]], following its acquisition by Bảo Đại it was renovated.<ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-2"/>

The effects of this period of history on the Montagnard people was profound.<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM"/> While the central highland Montagnards had to navigate at least one French colonial and two Vietnamese national projects during 9 years of war, this period saw rapid developments in their areas.<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM"/> Both the French colonial authorities and the State of Vietnam promoted efforts to create an educated anti-Việt Minh elite in the central highlands region.<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM"/> During this period hundreds of young Montagnard men from across the region met each other in the classrooms of the ''Collège Sabbatier'' in the city of [[Ban Mê Thuột]], Đắk Lắk Province, and these young men studied what became a common upland language, the [[Rade language]].<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM"/> The educated Montagnards from this period would accept administrative positions outside of their native tribal areas, which would develop long-lasting and often unprecedented relationships extending across the region, among which marriages across clan were common.<ref name="Université-du-Québec-à-Montréal-PSM"/>

On 10 August 1954, the special status of the Domain of the Crown within the State of Vietnam was abolished.<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/> On 11 March 1955 Prime Minister [[Ngô Đình Diệm]] signed ''Dụ số 21'' formally abolishing the Domain of the Crown as a separate entity altogether.<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/> Chief of State Bảo Đại accepted the signed ''Dụ số 21'' into law and the leftover areas of the Domain of the Crown were formally annexed into [[Trung phần]].<ref name="Anh-Thái-Phượng"/>

On 24 March 1955 a ceremony was held in front of [[Kontum]] Administrative Court, with the presence of thousands of ethnic minorities where the Chief of State Bảo Đại read the declaration which formally ended the 4 year and 11-month existence of the Domain of the Crown.<ref name="Halodalat-Lịch-Sử-Đà-Lạt"/>

After the end of the abolition of the Crown, Ngô Đình Diệm enacted new policies that allowed Kinh people to settle in the region and to freely conduct business there.<ref name="Halodalat-Lịch-Sử-Đà-Lạt"/> Furthermore, Ngô abolished many specific regulations dating to the French and Nguyễn dynasty period that limited Kinh interests in Cao nguyên.<ref name="Halodalat-Lịch-Sử-Đà-Lạt"/>

== Provinces == {{Main|Provinces of Vietnam}}

The Domain of the Crown contained the following five provinces which were established from the former [[Montagnard country of South Indochina]]:<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/><ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/>

# [[Đồng Nai Thượng]] # [[Lâm Viên]] # [[Pleiku]] # [[Đắk Lắk|Darlac]] # [[Kon Tum|Kontum]]

In ''[[Bắc Việt (State of Vietnam)|Bắc Việt]]'',<ref name="Mocban-State-of-Vietnam-administrative-divisions">{{cite web|url= https://mocban.vn/en/about-us/significant-collections/#3f94314fe34b3f4cda490461e78419e8 |title= Significant collections § Fonds of the Phủ Thủ hiến Trung Việt or Office of the Governor of Trung Viet.|date=2021|accessdate=30 March 2021|author= Royal Woodblocks of Nguyễn Dynasty - World documentary heritage|website=mocban.vn|publisher= The National Archives Center No. 4 (State Records and Archives Department of Vietnam)|language=en}}</ref> later ''[[Northern Vietnam|Bắc phần]]'', it contained the following provinces:<ref name="Lê-Đình-Chi"/><ref name="Nhân-Dân-Hoàng-triều-Cương-thổ-2020-1"/>

# [[Hòa Bình Province|Hòa Bình]] ([[Mường Autonomous Territory]]) # [[Phong Thổ]] ([[Sip Song Chau Tai|Thái Autonomous Territory]]) # [[Lai Châu Province|Lai Châu]] (Thái Autonomous Territory) # [[Sơn La]] (Thái Autonomous Territory) # [[Lào Cai Province|Lào Kay]] ([[Hmong Kingdoms|Mèo Autonomous Territory]]) # [[Hà Giang]] (Mèo Autonomous Territory) # [[Bắc Kạn Province|Bắc Kạn]] ([[Thổ Autonomous Territory]]) # [[Cao Bằng Province|Cao Bằng]] (Thổ Autonomous Territory) # [[Lạng Sơn]] (Thổ Autonomous Territory) # [[Hải Ninh Province|Hải Ninh]] ([[Nùng Autonomous Territory]]) # [[Móng Cái]] (Nùng Autonomous Territory)

== Note == {{Noteslist}}

== References == {{Reflist}}

== External links ==

[[Category:States and territories established in 1950]] [[Category:Former polities of the Indochina Wars]] [[Category:States and territories disestablished in 1955]] [[Category:South Vietnam]] [[Category:1950 establishments in Asia]] [[Category:1955 disestablishments in Asia]]