Hoang Lien Son artillery division 368 fired on the enemy's position during the northern border defence war in 1979. (Photo: VNA) Hanoi, (VNA) – The northernborder defence war in 1979 has demonstrated Vietnam’s strength and intelligencein critical situations. The art of command during that war is analysed in anarticle by Associate Professor and Doctor Ho Khang, former deputy director ofthe Vietnam Military History Institute.
In early 1979, when the VietnamPeople’s Army toppled the reactionary Pol Pot regime in Cambodia and helped theCambodian people escape from genocide, the Chinese Government joined someWestern countries in launching propaganda campaigns distorting the presence ofthe Vietnamese voluntary troops in Cambodia, with the aim of sabotaging Vietnam’srevolution and imposing its interest on the Indochina peninsula.
As both political and diplomaticpressure failed to produce the desired goal, Chinese leaders mobilized around600,000 troops along with hundreds of tanks and armoured vehicles to open adirect attack on February 17, 1979 on Vietnam along the full length of theborder shared by the two countries.
The attack brought a greatchallenge for Vietnamese people as it happened when the country was stillstruggling to overcome the serious consequences of the anti-US liberation warwhich concluded not long ago (in 1975) while performing an internationalmission to help the Cambodian people demolish the genocidal regime and revivetheir country. In addition, the national economy was facing many difficulties causedby the US’s embargo and sabotage attempts by both domestic and foreign reactionaryforces. The was also had a tremendous impact on the psychology and felling ofthe people of both countries, as China had provided great support andassistance both political, physical and spiritual for Vietnam during the pasttwo liberation wars against France and the US.
In such a situation, the commandof the war was discussed carefully by the Politburo of the Communist Party ofVietnam and the Central Military Commission. They agreed on the guideline ofbringing into full play the nation’s combined strength to firmly safeguardnational independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity; while upholding justiceand the good will to work for peace, restore the friendship between the twonations, and at the same time preventing the war from affecting other strategicmissions, especially the international mission in Cambodia, and continuing towin over the sympathy and wide support of world opinion.
Under the guideline, theVietnamese Government issued a statement on February 17, 1979 pointing out thatthe Chinese administration had acted against the interest of the people and seriouslyundermined the friendship between the two people. Vietnam also affirmed thatthe Vietnamese people had no other choice than to exercise their legitimate rightto self-defence and fight back.
At the beginning, Vietnamdecided not to use its strategic reserve force early, neither to withdraw keyforces from Cambodia. Instead, Vietnam made use of the people-based strength andlocal forces of Army Corps No.1 and No.2, along with units sent from the rear.
At the same time, plans weredrafted to gradually move strategic reserve army corps so as to get preparedfor counterattacks when necessary and prepare the people nationwide for thepossibility of war expanding.
Under the direction of thePolitburo and the Central Military Commission, the military and people in thefront line bravely fought back, wearing out enemy forces and destroying their manyweapons, thus forcing China to mobilize its strategic reserve force in battle.
However, with the advantage of bigvolumes of troops and weapons, the Chinese side occupied several key areas andtowns one by one, such as Lao Cai (on February 19), Cao Bang (February 24), CamDuong (February 25) and Lang Son (March 5).
In such an urgent situation, thePolitburo and the Central Military Commission decided to dispatch strategic reserveforces to join local forces in preparing for large-scale counter attacks.Accordingly, in early March 1979, the Central Military Commission and theDefence Ministry ordered Army Corp No2, which had basically completed its internationalmission in Cambodia, to quickly move all units to gather in the north of Hanoi,and issued a decision to establish Army Corp No.5 right at the border front.Besides, key units of Army Corps No.1, the Air and Air Defence Force, and othertechnical forces were order to get prepared for battle.
On March 5, 1979, the Presidentissued a general mobilization. Millions of young people, both men and women,volunteered to join the army.
The resolve of Vietnam’s supremecommand, particularly the moves to prepare for a strategic counter attack, madea great impact on the war’s situation and the Chinese administration’spsychology and strengthened the confidence of the Vietnamese people as well asof friends in the world, particularly the Cambodian people who had just escapedfrom genocide with Vietnam’s support. Socialist countries, progressive forcesand peace and justice-loving people around the world continued to stronglycondemn the unjust war launched by China and called for support for Vietnam.
Suffering from heavy losseswhile failing to achieve the basic goal, and at the same time being condemnedby world opinion, on March 5, 1979, the Chinese administration declared apull-out from Vietnam’s territories. With the tradition of benevolence andrighteousness and the wish to strengthen peace and restore the friendlyrelationship between the two countries, Vietnam’s Party Central Committee andGovernment instructed the armed forces and people in the northern borderbattlefield to cease all military operations to let the Chinese troopswithdraw. As of March 18, 1979, China completed the withdrawal of all itstroops from Vietnam.
The victory of Vietnam in the1979 northern border defence war is attributable to the combination of various factors,from the unyielding fighting spirit for national independence, freedom andterritorial integrity, the great support and help of international friends, thestrong people-based defence posture, and a battle-hardened army with acontingent of talented and experienced generals. But topping it all was the independentand sound command of the Politburo and the Central Military Commission.
The command has creativelycombined the traditional and modern war tactics, built strong defence acrossthe fields of politics, economics, defence and security, tapped the strength ofthe people-based defence war, and brought into full play the nation’s humanisticideals along with the Vietnamese revolutionary heroism in the Ho Chi Minhera.-VNA
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