Marie Joseph François Garnier (1839-1873) was a French naval officer and adventurer who took a leading role in the exploration and colonization of Indochina.

The son of a disappointed royalist, Francis Garnier was born in Saint-Étienne on July 25, 1839, and was raised by maternal relatives in Montpellier. He entered the naval academy in 1855. After a short period of service in the South Atlantic and South Pacific, where he heroically saved the life of a fellow officer, he volunteered for service against China and Vietnam and saw action in 1860. In 1863 he entered the colonial administration of Cochin China (southern Vietnam) and by 1865 was in charge of the administration of Cholon, Saigon's Chinese mercantile quarter.

Quickly learning indigenous languages and studying the history and customs of the people among whom he worked, Garnier at the same time became an enthusiastic proponent of France's role in "civilizing" Indochina...