Treaty of Saigon
On paper, Cochinchina was the only portion with direct rule imposed. The province was legally annexed to the French under the Treaty of Saigon. The rest of the provinces, Tonkin, Annam, Cambodia and Laos, remained as French protectorates. However, the differences between direct and indirect rule "was a legal rather than a practical one". Political interference was as every bit intrusive in Cochinchina as Laos.