Collective names for the Southeast Asian countries that were former colonies of
France:
Laos,
Cambodia and
Vietnam (which was divided up into
Tonkin,
Annam and
Cochin).
Beyond their colonial legacies, their unfortunate position in the Vietnam War, and their Communist governments, the three Indochinese governments really do not share that much in common. Different kinships, different languages and different topography. And while China may have been an influence in her colonies in Indochina, there was no genuine Indian presence. The tenuous connection was made by French scholar George Coedes, who said that Lao and Khmer culture had 'Hindu' elements.