Second Battle of Lang Son

The Second Battle of Lang Son was fought during the Sino-Vietnamese War, days after the Chinese stopped their advance southwards after the heavy fighting in Lang Son. The Vietnamese forces retook the city for a short time, and the battle was opened as a result of resumption of Chinese attacks in Vietnam's northern provinces. As in the first battle that occurred in the city days earlier, the Chinese suffered numerous casualties at the hands of the Vietnamese militia units, while launching several simultaneous counterattacks just to secure the city. However, after the battle, the Chinese People's Liberation Army's high command declared that the road to Vietnam's capital city of Hanoi was now open, and withdrew days after the battle, claiming that their punitive mission had been achieved.