The French administration in Saigon establishes the…

The French administration in Saigon establishes the Opium Regie in 1881, a direct state marketing monopoly that shows greater profitability than the licensed opium dens.

The French Navy had begun a heavy presence in the Mekong Delta after helping to unify Vietnam under the Nguyen Dynasty, and had later colonized the southern third of Vietnam, including Saigon in 1867.