1979 Sino-Vietnamese border war

Sino-Vietnamese War (Third Indochina War)
Part of the Third Indochina War and the Cold War
Vietnamese artillery bombarding Chinese troops, 23 February 1979
Date 17 February – 16 March 1979 (3 weeks and 6 days) Location China–Vietnam border Result Both sides claimed victory Chinese withdrawal from Vietnam Continued Vietnamese occupation of Cambodia until 1989 Continuation of border clashes between China and Vietnam until 1990 Territorial changes Small loss of Vietnamese territory along Sino-Vietnamese border to China in Cao Bằng and Lạng Sơn Provinces, namely Nam Quan Gate and half of Bản Giốc Falls.
Belligerents
China	Vietnam Military Support:  Soviet Union
Commanders and leaders
Deng Xiaoping Ye Jianying Xu Xiangqian Yang Dezhi Xu Shiyou	Lê Duẩn Tôn Đức Thắng Văn Tiến Dũng Đàm Quang Trung Vũ Lập
Strength
Chinese claim: 200,000 PLA with 400–550 tanks Vietnamese claim: 600,000 PLA infantry and 400 tanks from Kunming and Guangzhou Military Districts	70,000–100,000 regulars, 150,000 local troops and militia
Casualties and losses
Chinese estimate: 6,954–8,531 killed 14,800–21,000 wounded 238 captured Vietnamese estimate: 62,000 casualties, including 26,000 deaths. 420 Tanks/APCs destroyed 66 Heavy Mortars & Guns destroyed	Chinese estimate: 30,000–57,000 soldiers killed and 70,000 militia killed. 1,636 captured 185 Tanks/APCs destroyed 200 heavy mortars and guns destroyed 6 missile launchers destroyed

Sino-Vietnamese War
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	對越自衛反擊戰
Simplified Chinese	对越自卫反击战
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin duì yuè zìwèi fǎnjī zhàn Wade–Giles tui yüeh tzu-wei fan-chi chan IPA [twêi ɥê tsɹ̩̂wêi fàntɕí ʈʂân] Yue: Cantonese Jyutping deoi3 jyut6 zi6wai6 faan1 gik1 zin3
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese	Chiến tranh biên giới Việt Nam-Trung Quốc

Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyin	duì yuè zìwèi fǎnjī zhàn
Wade–Giles	tui yüeh tzu-wei fan-chi chan
IPA	[twêi ɥê tsɹ̩̂wêi fàntɕí ʈʂân]
Yue: Cantonese
Jyutping	deoi3 jyut6 zi6wai6 faan1 gik1 zin3

Both sides claimed victory

Chinese estimate: 6,954–8,531 killed
14,800–21,000 wounded
238 captured
Vietnamese estimate: 62,000 casualties, including 26,000 deaths.

420 Tanks/APCs destroyed
66 Heavy Mortars & Guns destroyed

The Sino-Vietnamese War (Vietnamese: Chiến tranh biên giới Việt-Trung; simplified Chinese: 中越战争; traditional Chinese: 中越戰爭; pinyin: Zhōng-Yuè Zhànzhēng), also known as the Third Indochina War, was a brief border war fought between the People's Republic of China and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in early 1979. China launched the offensive in response to Vietnam's invasion and occupation of Cambodia in 1978 (which ended the rule of the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge). Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger wrote that Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping saw this as a Soviet attempt "to extend its evil tentacles to Southeast Asia and...carry out expansion there", which reflected the long-standing Sino-Soviet split. Kissinger also noted that "[w]hatever the shortcomings of its execution, the Chinese campaign reflected a serious, long-term strategic analysis".

Chinese forces entered northern Vietnam and captured several cities near the border. On March 6, 1979, China declared that the gate to Hanoi was open and that their punitive mission had been achieved, before withdrawing their troops from Vietnam. Both China and Vietnam claimed victory in the last of the Indochina Wars. As Vietnamese troops remained in Cambodia until 1989, it can be said that China was unsuccessful in their goal of dissuading Vietnam from involvement in Cambodia. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Sino-Vietnamese border was finalized.

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