Loss of the tributary states and sovereignty
According to traditions, Vietnam like Korea had a tributary status with regard to Imperial China. The rulers of both Vietnam in the south and Korea in the north accepted the lordship if not the direct rule of the Emperor in Beijing. However, the French mercilessly disconnected any link in 1884, during the Sino-French war.
In 1894 Qing China suffered a serious humiliation over Korea, and this time at the hands of Japan, an Asiatic power. A rebellion in Korea against the monarchy there led both powers to rush in troops. Eventually, China was forced to abandon Korea and even ports in China to Japan. This resulted in protests and demonstrations from the elite as well as Confucian scholars, who demanded reform. The Qing Dynasty was starting to tremble.