(i) Vietnamese shared an amicable relationship with Japan and China. They provided models for those looking for change, a refuge for those who were trying to escape the French police, and a location where a wider Asian network of revolutionaries could be established. In 1907-08, some 300 Vietnamese students went to Japan to acquire modern education. They appealed to the Japanese as fellow Asians and later established a branch of the Restoration Society in Tokyo. (ii) Developments in China also inspired Vietnamese nationalists. In 1911, the long established monarchy in China was overthrown by a popular movement under Sun Yat Sen, and a Republic was set up. Inspired by these developments, Vietnamese students established the Association for the Restoration of Vietnam (Viet-Nam Quan Phuc Hoi).