Lentorama 2006 Saint of the Day: St. Paul Tinh

Paul was a Vietnamese martyr who served as a priest before being beheaded by "anti-Catholic forces" (according to Catholic Online) in 1857. John Paul II made him a saint in 1988.

I'm curious as to what these "anti-Catholic forces" were. All I've been able to find is that they were political in nature, which isn't helpful.