Franco-Chinese War

The Battle of Bac Ninh pitted the French Tonkin Division, led by General Millot, against the Chinese Guangxi army, strongly entrenched around the fortified town of Bac Ninh. Through skillful maneuver and tactical superiority, the French outflanked enemy lines and seized the town, inflicting a severe defeat on Chinese imperial troops without a massive frontal battle.

The Battle of Fuzhou was a decisive naval clash between Admiral Courbet's French squadron and the Chinese Fujian fleet. It took place in the Min estuary, before the port of Fuzhou. In less than an hour, the French fleet destroyed nearly all Chinese ships and naval installations, demonstrating French naval tactical and technical superiority.

As part of the naval campaign against China, France launched a landing at Keelung (Formosa) to establish a bridgehead. Under Admiral Lespès's direction, French troops faced Chinese defenses and seized the town after two days of combat. This operation foreshadowed a more lasting occupation of the region, although fighting continued in the following months.

The Battle of Tamsui was a French attempt to seize a second strategic port in northern Taiwan after Keelung. Admiral Lespès attempted a landing but encountered fierce resistance from entrenched Chinese troops. After several hours of intense combat in marshy terrain, the assault failed. French troops had to withdraw, marking a rare defeat in this war.

The Battle of Yu Oc took place in the context of defending the advanced post of Tuyên Quang, threatened by a Sino-Vietnamese coalition. A French column commanded by Duchesne was sent as reinforcement and faced Chinese troops and Black Flags at Yu Oc. Despite numerical inferiority, the French achieved a decisive victory through rigorous fire discipline and a well-coordinated attack.

The Battle of Bang Bo (Zhennan Guan) pitted General de Négrier's column against a numerically overwhelming Chinese army, strongly entrenched behind a vast network of fortifications on the border. The French launched a series of bold assaults, managed to penetrate the first lines but were finally overwhelmed by numbers. De Négrier was seriously wounded; the column had to withdraw toward Dong Dang.

The Battle of Dong Dang pitted General de Négrier's French vanguard against a substantial Chinese force strongly entrenched on hills around the border village of Dong Dang. The French launched a coordinated assault that swept enemy positions and seized the Gate of China fort, opening the border route. The Chinese, surprised and outflanked, abandoned the battlefield.

After the failure at Bang Bo and General de Négrier's wounding, Colonel Herbinger ordered the precipitous retreat of the French garrison at Lang Son toward the Tonkin delta. The operation, poorly organized and conducted under constant pressure from Chinese troops, turned into a rout. Rearguard combats took place along the route, and many soldiers were lost in the jungle. The French press called the event the 'Lang Son disaster.'

The Battle of Núi Bop pitted General de Négrier's column against a strong concentration of Chinese troops in the Song Thuong valley, east of Tonkin. Through a bold offensive maneuver, the French dislodged the Chinese from their entrenched positions after two days of intense combat, opening the road to Lang Son. This victory prepared the final offensive against Chinese forces in Tonkin.