Annam, meaning 'God's blessing', was a name given by the Chinese to the region that at present is the northern part of Vietnam
Annam was formerly a French colony. In 1874, it was seized by the French. This region was section of the federation of French Indochina, ruled by the French from 1887 until its collapse in 1954, owing to the defeat of the French in the First Indochina War. In 1805, during the reign of Gia Long, the first room of the Throne was built. Reconstruction of the room in its present state was done between 1833-1840 during the reign of Minh Mang.