The Sino-Vietnamese War was a short border conflict in which China invaded northern Vietnam, a few weeks after Vietnam had invaded Cambodia and overthrown the Khmer Rouge regime, an ally of China. Deng Xiaoping described the attack as a punishment for Vietnam. Chinese forces captured several border towns, including Lang Son, but met strong resistance from experienced Vietnamese troops, and suffered heavy losses. China declared that its objectives had been achieved and withdrew, while Vietnam kept its forces in Cambodia. Border clashes continued through the 1980s, and relations were only normalised in 1991. Both sides claimed victory.
Before and after
- 1979Establishment of Sangay National Park
- 1979Invention of Bourne shell
- 1979Global life expectancy reaches 60 years
- 13 February 1979Birth of Anders Behring Breivik
- from 17 February 1979 to 16 March 1979Sino-Vietnamese War
- 4 March 1979Discovery of Metis
- 5 March 1979Discovery of Thebe
- 5 March 1979Voyager 1 reveals Jupiter and its volcanic moon Io
- 28 March 1979Three Mile Island accident
More in Wars, politics & history
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- from January 1978 to February 1979Iranian Revolution
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- from 15 March 2011 to 8 December 2024Syrian Civil War
- 28 February 20262026 Iran War
The era
This moment belongs to the Contemporary world (1945 CE to today), the world since 1945. You can also browse everything in the 20th century.