The Poisoning at Hanoi Citadel ( Vietnamese: ''Hà Thành đầu độc;''

Chữ Hán ( , ) are the Chinese characters that were used to write Literary Chinese in Vietnam, Literary Chinese (; ) and Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary in Vietnamese language, Vietnamese. They were officially used in Vietnam after the Red River Delta region ...

: 河城投毒) was a poisoning plot which occurred in 1908 when a group of Vietnamese indigenous

tirailleurs A tirailleur (), in the Napoleonic era, was a type of light infantry trained to skirmish ahead of the main columns. Later, the term "''tirailleur''" was used by the French Army as a designation for indigenous infantry recruited in the French c ...

attempted to poison the entire French colonial army's garrison in the Citadel of Hanoi. The aim of the plot was to neutralize the French garrison and make way for Hoang Hoa Tham's rebel army to capture

Hanoi Hanoi ( ; ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Vietnam, second-most populous city of Vietnam. The name "Hanoi" translates to "inside the river" (Hanoi is bordered by the Red River (Asia), Red and Black River (Asia), Black Riv ...

. The plot was disclosed, and then was suppressed by the French.

Background and poisoning

In early 1908, Hoang Hoa Tham collaborated with Vietnamese nationalists, including Phan Boi Chau, in organizing a plot to seize Hanoi from the French. Vietnamese cooks were to neutralize the French garrison in Hanoi by poisoning their dinner foods; at the same time, Vietnamese soldiers (Grade Indochinois) would attack and prevent French troops at Don Thuy, Son Tay, and Bac Ninh from coming to the aid of the Citadel of Hanoi; and Hoang Hoa Tham would wait outside the citadel and launch an attack on

Gia Lam ''Gia'' is a 1998 American biographical drama television film about the life and times of one of the first supermodels, Gia Carangi. The film stars Angelina Jolie as Gia and Faye Dunaway as Wilhelmina Cooper, with Mercedes Ruehl and Elizab ...

when the signal arrived from the inside. The plan was executed on the evening of 27 June 1908, when the group of Vietnamese cooks managed to mix

datura ''Datura'' is a genus of nine species of highly poisonous, Vespertine (biology), vespertine-flowering plants belonging to the nightshade family (Solanaceae). They are commonly known as thornapples or jimsonweeds, but are also known as devil's t ...

poison with food they had prepared for a party. The poison immediately knocked out nearly 200 French troops but did not kill them.Chapuis, p. 90 Moreover, one of the cooks had felt guilty and had gone to a church for confession, the French priest (Fr. Dronet Ân) then reported this to government officials;Marr, p. 193 the French general-in-charge in Hanoi immediately proclaimed

martial law Martial law is the replacement of civilian government by military rule and the suspension of civilian legal processes for military powers. Martial law can continue for a specified amount of time, or indefinitely, and standard civil liberties ...

and ordered the arrest of plot leaders and plotters. Outside the citadel, Hoang Hoa Tham did not receive the signal he was expecting, realized the plot had failed and withdrew all his troops.

Aftermath

In quick response to the plot, the French executed by

guillotine A guillotine ( ) is an apparatus designed for effectively carrying out executions by Decapitation, beheading. The device consists of a tall, upright frame with a weighted and angled blade suspended at the top. The condemned person is secur ...

13 plotters. On 8 July 1908, another 24 death sentences were announced and the remaining rebels were sentenced to life or exiled. Severely repressive actions were launched against the Vietnamese activists, and hundreds of them, including Phan Châu Trinh, were sent to Con Dao prison.Largo, p. 111 The French also accused Phan Boi Chau of the plot, forcing him to flee to Japan; this abortive plot later became one of many incidents that eventually landed Chau in French prison in 1914.Bradley & Gaddis, p. 15 On the other hand, the French began hunting Hoang Hoa Tham. They attacked and defeated Tham in 11 major battles from 29 January through 11 November 1909 and then surrounded him in Yen The, though Tham fled and kept on fighting until he was assassinated in 1913.Chapuis, pp. 90–91

Notes

References

* * * * * * * {{Vietnamese independence movement 1908 in France 1908 in Vietnam Tonkin (French protectorate) Military history of France Military history of Vietnam Vietnamese independence movement Deaths by poisoning 1908 in international relations