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64-632: For part of its length it runs along the Chinese–Vietnamese border, including the scenic Bản Giốc–Detian Falls . This article about a location in Cao Bằng Province , Vietnam is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Guangxi location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to a river in China is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to

128-425: A cavern from an adjoining gorge. Rediscovered only recently, it has many species of endemic plants, found only in the gorge. The waterfalls are located in an area of mature karst formations where the original limestone bedrock layers are being eroded. Numerous streams spring from underground fissures along the lower levels of the area. The waterfalls have multiple drops, from bedrock layer to layer, which shows

192-658: A direct and dangerous enemy and a "new combat target". It decided to send personnel abroad to engage in activities in opposition to China. In July 1978, the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party discussed possible military action against Vietnam in order to disrupt Soviet deployments and, two months later, PLA General Staff recommended punitive actions against Vietnam. By the end of July 1978, China ended all of its aid programs to Vietnam and recalled all of its experts from Vietnam. In September 1978,

256-692: A new attack wave was sent in with eight PLA divisions joining the battle. After capturing the northern heights above Lạng Sơn , the PLA surrounded and paused in front of the city in order to lure the VPA into reinforcing it with units from Cambodia. This was the main strategic ploy in the Chinese war plan as Deng did not want to risk escalating tensions with the Soviet Union. After three days of bloody house-to-house fighting , Lạng Sơn fell on 6 March. The PLA then took

320-413: A perpetual joint oversight committee. Sino-Vietnamese War Status quo ante bellum ; Both sides claim victory Second Third The Sino-Vietnamese War (also known by other names ) was a brief conflict that occurred in early 1979 between China and Vietnam . China launched an offensive ostensibly in response to Vietnam's invasion and occupation of Cambodia in 1978, which ended

384-551: A plan for a proposed 1956 election meant to unify the partitioned Vietnam. Instead, the South held a separate election that was widely considered fraudulent, leading to continued internal conflict with communist factions led by the Viet Cong that intensified through the late 1950s. With supplies and support from the Soviet Union, North Vietnamese forces became directly involved in the ongoing guerrilla war by 1959 and openly invaded

448-524: A river in Vietnam is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Ban Gioc%E2%80%93Detian Falls Bản Giốc – Detian Falls or Bản Giốc Falls is a collective name for two waterfalls on the Quây Sơn River ( Vietnamese : Sông Quây Sơn, chữ Nôm : 滝𢮿山; Chinese : 归春河, Pinyin : Guīchūn hé) that straddle the international border between China and Vietnam ; more specifically located between

512-481: A waterfall: (1) portage along the river's course; and (2) fording or rafting across the river. Bản Giốc–Detian Falls was one of the crossing points for Chinese forces during the Sino-Vietnamese War . Rafts are currently used to boat tourists closer to the falls and return them to their dock of origination. Preservation of the resource may require future cooperation between the local communities by use of

576-621: Is time he got spanked" ( 小朋友不听话，该打打屁股了 ). Deng sought an endorsement from the United States in order to deter the Soviet Union from intervening when China launched a punitive attack against Vietnam. He informed Carter that China could not accept Vietnam's "wild ambitions" and was prepared to teach it a lesson. According to United States National Security Advisor Zbigniew Brzezinski , Carter reserved judgment, an action which Chinese diplomats interpreted as tacit approval. Deng returned to China on 8 February 1979, and on 9 February, made

640-550: The Democratic Republic of Vietnam , the remaining French acquiesced while waiting for the return of French forces to the region. The Kuomintang supported French restoration, but Viet Minh efforts towards independence were helped by Chinese communists under the Soviet Union's influence. The Soviet Union at first indirectly supported Vietnamese communists, but later directly supported Hồ Chí Minh. The Soviets nonetheless remained less supportive than China until after

704-536: The Sino-Soviet split , during the time of Leonid Brezhnev when the Soviet Union became communist Vietnam's key ally. The war itself involved numerous events that had major impacts throughout Indochina. Two major conferences were held to bring about a resolution. Finally, on 20 July 1954, the Geneva Conference resulted in a political settlement to reunite the country, signed with support from China,

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768-563: The Soviet Union , its Cold War communist adversary, was unable to protect its Vietnamese ally. The Sino-Vietnamese War is known by various names in Chinese and Vietnamese. The neutral names for the war are 中越战争 (Sino-Vietnamese war) in Chinese and Chiến tranh biên giới Việt-Trung (Vietnamese-Chinese border war) in Vietnamese. The Chinese government refers to the war as the "Self-defensive war against Vietnam" ( 对越自卫反击战 ) or

832-681: The "Self-defensive counterattack against Vietnam" ( 对越自卫还击保卫边疆作战 ). The Vietnamese government calls it the "War against Chinese expansionism" ( Chiến tranh chống bành trướng Trung Hoa ). The Sino-Vietnamese War is also known as the Third Indochina War in Western historiography . Just as the First Indochina War—which emerged from the complex situation following World War II—and the Vietnam War both arose from

896-491: The 19th century. Disputes regarding the border demarcation at this location were settled in 1999 Viet Nam-China Treaty on Land Borderline . Additional talks were held as late as 2009 to clarify the treaty. However, there are controversies regarding the border demarcation around the Falls. One faction holds that the entirety of these falls belongs to Vietnam, and that the stone tablet had been moved there some time during or after

960-522: The 2nd Corps, from the invasion forces of Cambodia to reinforce the defense of Hanoi . The conflict had a lasting impact on the relationship between China and Vietnam , and diplomatic relations between the two countries were not fully restored until 1991. Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, the Sino-Vietnamese border was finalized. Although unable to deter Vietnam from ousting Pol Pot from Cambodia, China demonstrated that

1024-552: The CMEA and, on 3 November, the Soviet Union and Vietnam signed a 25-year mutual defense treaty, which made Vietnam the "linchpin" in the Soviet Union's "drive to contain China". (However, the Soviet Union had shifted from open animosity towards more normalized relations with China soon after.) Vietnam called for a special relationship between the three Indochinese countries, but the Khmer Rouge regime of Democratic Kampuchea rejected

1088-539: The Chinese, regardless of ethnicity. The Chinese received a significant number of defectors from the Thu Lao ethnic minority in Vietnam during the war. During the war China received as migrants the entire A Lù based population of the Phù Lá ethnic minority. China received so many defectors from the ethnic minorities in Vietnam that it raised shock among Vietnam which had to launch a new effort to re-assert dominance over

1152-543: The Eastern Zone, Vietnam invaded Cambodia on 25 December 1978. By 7 January 1979, Vietnamese forces had entered Phnom Penh and the Khmer Rouge leadership had fled to western Cambodia. The offensive took the Chinese by surprise, and its Phnom Penh embassy fled to the jungle with the Khmer Rouge where it remained for 15 days. However, the fall of the Khmer Rouge was not a surprise, but from China's perspective, Vietnam's occupation of Cambodia threatened China's interests on

1216-563: The Gulf of Tonkin. By the mid-1970s, the relationship between China and Vietnam was strained. The tensions between the two countries developed in relation to a number of issues, including Vietnam's support of the Soviet side during the Sino-Soviet split, Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia, Vietnam's mistreatment of ethnic Chinese in Vietnam, and border conflicts. China grew concerned about

1280-640: The Indochina peninsula and its position among non-communist Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) states of Southeast Asia. Members of ASEAN saw Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia as a blatant violation of international borders and an act of aggression. China supported the ethnic minority United Front for the Liberation of Oppressed Races against Vietnam during the FULRO insurgency against Vietnam . The Vietnamese executed collaborators who worked for

1344-510: The Karst hills of Daxin County , Guangxi and Trùng Khánh District , Cao Bằng Province . The waterfalls are located 272 km (169 mi) north of Hanoi . Over thousands of years, the waterfall has eroded its crest and slowly moved upstream. It currently appears to be two waterfalls most of the time, but when the river is swollen due to summer rains can form one fall again. In Vietnamese,

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1408-531: The On 15 February, the first day that China could have officially announced the termination of the 1950 Sino-Soviet Treaty of Friendship, Alliance and Mutual Assistance , Deng Xiaoping declared that China planned to conduct a limited attack on Vietnam. Thus, he further developed China's burgeoning cooperation with the United States against the Soviet Union and would take a similar stance later regarding Afghanistan . According to academic Suisheng Zhao , "[t]he proximity in

1472-538: The People's Liberation Army General Staff reached a consensus in favor of a military campaign against Vietnam. The General Staff viewed the goal of a campaign as to force Vietnam out of Cambodia, to check the Soviet Union's and Vietnam's regional ambitions in southeast Asia, and to stop Vietnamese encroachments on the border. The major breakdown in the Chinese view of Vietnam occurred in November 1978. Vietnam joined

1536-565: The South in 1964. The United States played an ever-increasing role in supporting South Vietnam through the period. The U.S. had supported French forces in the First Indochina War, sent supplies and military advisers to South Vietnam throughout the 1950s and early 1960s, and eventually took over most of the fighting against both North Vietnam and the Viet Cong by the mid-1960s. By 1968, over 500,000 American troops were involved in

1600-552: The Soviet Union and China as a result of the Sino-Soviet split of 1956–1966, as many as 1.5 million Chinese troops were stationed along the Sino-Soviet border in preparation for a full-scale war against the Soviets. Vietnam joined the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (CMEA) on June 28, 1978. Soviet military aid to Vietnam increased from $ 75-$ 125 million in 1977 to $ 600-$ 800 million in 1978. On November 3, 1978, Vietnam and

1664-421: The Soviet Union as capable of encircling its southern border. Beginning in fall 1978 and continuing through early 1979, Deng Xiaoping made a series of international trips, one goal of which was to gauge world opinion on the issues between China and Vietnam. On 29 January 1979, Deng Xiaoping visited the United States for the first time and told U.S. President Jimmy Carter : "The child is getting naughty, it

1728-649: The Soviet Union signed a formal military alliance. The Soviet Union supported Vietnam's invasion of Cambodia , launched in December 1978. Following the death of Mao in September 1976, the overthrow of the Gang of Four and the ascent of Deng Xiaoping , the Chinese leadership revised its own positions to become compatible with market aspects, denounced the Cultural Revolution , and collaborated with

1792-475: The Soviet Union's interpretation of Marxism–Leninism , in particular Khrushchev's support for peaceful co-existence and its interpretation. This led to increasingly hostile relations, and eventually the Sino-Soviet split . From here, Chinese communists played a decreasing role in helping their former allies because the Viet Minh did not support China against the Soviets. Following worsening relations between

1856-514: The Soviet Union, and Western European powers. While the Soviet Union played a constructive role in the agreement, it again was not as involved as China. The U.S. did not sign the agreement and swiftly moved to back South Vietnam . The Chinese Communist Party and the Viet Minh had a long history. During the initial stages of the First Indochina War with France, the recently founded communist People's Republic of China continued

1920-563: The Soviet Union. On 17 February 1979, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) force of about 200,000 troops supported by 200 Type 59 , Type 62 , and Type 63 tanks entered northern Vietnam in the PLA's first major combat operation since the end of the Korean War in 1953. The PLA invasion was conducted in two directions: western and eastern Vietnam quickly mobilized all its main forces in Cambodia, southern Vietnam and central Vietnam to

1984-527: The Soviet mission to expand communism. Therefore, they aided the Viet Minh and became the connector between Soviets and the Viet Minh. After the death of Joseph Stalin in March 1953, relations between the Soviet Union and China began to deteriorate. Mao Zedong believed the new Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev had made a serious error in his Secret Speech denouncing Stalin in February 1956, and criticized

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2048-604: The US against the Soviet Union. As France withdrew from a provisionally divided Vietnam in late 1954, the United States increasingly stepped in to support the South Vietnamese leaders due to the Domino theory , which theorized that if one nation would turn to communism, the surrounding nations were likely to fall like dominoes and become communist as well. The Soviet Union and North Vietnam became important allies together due to

2112-550: The United States in the early 1970s, culminating in high level meetings with Henry Kissinger and later Richard Nixon . These meetings contributed to a re-orientation of Chinese foreign policy toward the United States . Although the Vietnamese Communists and the Khmer Rouge had previously cooperated, the relationship deteriorated when Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot came to power and established Democratic Kampuchea on 17 April 1975. The People's Republic of China , on

2176-615: The Vichy administration and forces taking control of Indochina and establishing their own puppet administration, the Empire of Vietnam . The Japanese surrender in August 1945 created a power vacuum in Indochina, as the various political factions scrambled for control. The events leading to the First Indochina War are subject to historical dispute. When the Việt Minh hastily sought to establish

2240-671: The Vietnam War. Due to a lack of clear military success and facing increasingly strident opposition to the war in the U.S., American forces began a slow withdrawal in 1969 while attempting to bolster South Vietnam's military so that they could take over the fighting. In accordance with the Paris Peace Accords by 29 March 1973 all U.S. combat forces had left South Vietnam, however North Vietnamese combat forces were allowed to remain in place. North Vietnam attacked South Vietnam in early 1975 and South Vietnam fell on 30 April 1975. The People's Republic of China started talks with

2304-722: The appointment of its consul general to Ho Chi Minh City and informed Vietnam that it must close three of its consulates in China. On 8 July 1978, the General Political Bureau of the Vietnamese People's Army released orders to adopt an offensive strategy against China, including attacking and counterattacking within and beyond the border. Two weeks later, the National Congress of the Communist Party of Vietnam described China as

2368-448: The brief Sino-Vietnamese war of 1979 . To the southeast, the land dispute also along the Sino-Vietnamese border also includes Nam Quan Gate ( Ải Nam Quan ) which the Vietnamese claimed as well. Historically, Nam Quan Gate served as the border marker and entry point to Vietnam between Vietnam & China (hence there's also a Vietnamese historical saying, that Vietnam stretched from Cape Cà Mau to Ải Nam Quan). The waterfalls increase

2432-895: The control of the French. The French landed in Hanoi by March 1946 and in November of that year they ousted the Viet Minh from the city. Soon thereafter, the Viet Minh began a guerrilla war against the French Union forces, beginning the first Indochina War. Vietnam first became a French colony when France invaded in 1858. By the 1880s, the French had expanded their sphere of influence in Southeast Asia to include all of Vietnam, and by 1893 both Laos and Cambodia had become French colonies as well. Rebellions against French colonial power were common up to World War I . The European war heightened revolutionary sentiment in Southeast Asia, and

2496-607: The ethnic minorities and classify them. Post Vietnam War, an insurgency against Vietnam lasted among the indigenous Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesians of the Central Highlands. Assistance was sought from China by the Hmong ethnic minority. The border was frequently crossed by Chinese, Lao, Kinh, Hmong, Yao, Nung, and Tai. The Laotian Hmong and FULRO were both supported against Vietnam by China and Thailand. In February 1976, Vietnam implemented registration programs in

2560-470: The fact that if South Vietnam was successfully taken over by North Vietnam, then communism in East Asia would find its strategic position bolstered. In the eyes of the People's Republic of China, the growing Soviet-Vietnamese relationship was a disturbing development; they feared an encirclement by the less-than-hospitable Soviet sphere of influence. The United States and the Soviet Union could not agree on

2624-542: The final decision to invade Vietnam. On 11 February, China issued orders to the Guangxi and Yunnan military commands to launch the attack on 17 February. Three days later, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party issued a notice to provincial party organizations, military regions, and government ministries, announcing and explaining its view of the justifications for the upcoming attack on Vietnam.

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2688-614: The idea. On 8 December 1978, the Central Military Commission ordered the Guangzhou Military Region and Kunming Military Region to prepare for military action against Vietnam by 10 January 1979. On 25 December 1978, Vietnam invaded Democratic Kampuchea, overrunning most of the country, deposing the Khmer Rouge, and installing Heng Samrin as the head of the new Cambodian government. The move further antagonized China, which now viewed

2752-634: The indecisive aftermath of political relations, the Third Indochina War again followed the unresolved problems of the earlier wars. The major allied victors of World War II , the United Kingdom, the United States, and the Soviet Union, all agreed that the area belonged to the French. As the French did not have the means to immediately retake Indochina, the major powers agreed that the British would take control and troops would occupy

2816-570: The independence-minded population rallied around revolutionaries such as Hồ Chí Minh and others, including royalists. Prior to their attack on Pearl Harbor , the Japanese occupied French Indochina , but left civil administration to the Vichy French administration. On 9 March 1945, fearing that the Vichy French were about to switch sides to support the Allies, the Japanese overthrew

2880-486: The issues. Border disputes between the two countries were significant in the 1970s. One hundred sixty-four locations on the land border totaling 227 square kilometers were disputed. Because there was not yet clear border demarcation, the countries engaged in a pattern of retaliatory land grabs and violence. The number of border skirmishes increased yearly from 125 in 1974 to 2,175 in 1978. Two rounds of bilateral negotiations on border issues were unsuccessful. While

2944-399: The middle of the front also resulted in Vietnamese defeats. The Chinese also captured the far northeastern provincial capital, Mong Cai, analysts said. According to Vietnam, since January 1979 Chinese forces performed numerous reconnaissance activities across the border and made 230 violations into Vietnamese land. To prepare for a possible Chinese invasion, the Central Military Commission of

3008-439: The multiple depositions of sediments of different hardness which formed the terrain over millions of years. A road running along the top of the falls leads to a stone marker that demarcates the border between China and Vietnam in French and Chinese. Modern disputes arose as there are discrepancies as to the correlating legal documents on border demarcation and the placement of markers between the French and Qing administrations in

3072-507: The next day that China was prepared for a full-scale war against the Soviet Union; in preparation for this conflict, China put all of its troops along the Sino-Soviet border on an emergency war alert, set up a new military command in Xinjiang , and evacuated an estimated 300,000 civilians from the Sino-Soviet border. In addition, the bulk of China's active forces (as many as one-and-a-half million troops) were stationed along China's border with

3136-437: The north. The PLA quickly advanced about 15–20 kilometres into Vietnam, with fighting mainly occurring in the provinces of Cao Bằng , Lào Cai and Lạng Sơn . The Vietnamese avoided mobilizing their regular divisions, and held back some 300,000 troops for the defence of Hanoi. The People's Army of Vietnam (VPA) tried to avoid direct combat and often used guerrilla tactics. The initial PLA attack soon lost its momentum and

3200-605: The northern border. From 18 to 25 February, the 327th Infantry Division of Military District 3 and the 337th Infantry Division of Military District 4 were deployed to join Military District 1 for the defense of northwestern region. From 6 to 11 March the Second Corp (Huong Giang Corp) stationed in Cambodia was deployed back to Hanoi. The 372nd Air Division in central Vietnam as well as the 917th, 935th and 937th Air Regiments in southern Vietnam were quickly deployed to

3264-541: The other hand, also supported the Maoist Khmer Rouge against Lon Nol's regime during the Cambodian Civil War and its subsequent take-over of Cambodia. China provided extensive political, logistical and military support for the Khmer Rouge during its rule. After numerous clashes along the border between Vietnam and Cambodia, and with encouragement from Khmer Rouge defectors fleeing purges of

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3328-473: The quality of life for people who live within the sound of the falls. A road running along the top of the falls leads to a stone marker that demarcates the border between China and Vietnam in French and Chinese. 20th century disputes could not be resolved where inaccuracies in documents, maps and descriptions that were made in the 19th century became difficult to differentiate. The disappearance or inaccurate replacement of markers and landmarks from time to time, and

3392-757: The rule of the Chinese-backed Khmer Rouge . The conflict lasted for about a month, with China withdrawing its troops in March 1979. In February 1979, Chinese forces launched a surprise invasion of northern Vietnam and quickly captured several cities near the border . On 6   March of that year, China declared that its punitive mission had been accomplished. Chinese troops then withdrew from Vietnam. However, Vietnam continued to occupy Cambodia until 1989, suggesting that China failed to achieve its stated aim of dissuading Vietnam from involvement in Cambodia. However, China's operation at least successfully forced Vietnam to withdraw some units, namely

3456-404: The second round of negotiations, the August 1978 Youyi Pass Incident occurred, in which the Vietnamese army and police expelled 2,500 refugees across the border into China. Vietnamese authorities beat and stabbed refugees during the incident, including 9 Chinese civilian border workers. After the second round of negotiations failed, China began conducting overflights of the border area and of

3520-417: The south while Nationalist Chinese forces would move in from the north. Nationalist Chinese troops entered the country to disarm Japanese troops north of the 16th parallel on 14 September 1945. The parallel divided Indochina into Chinese and British controlled zones (see Timeline of World War II (1945) ). The British landed in the south and rearmed the small body of interned French forces as well as parts of

3584-546: The south. Ethnic Chinese in Vietnam were required to adopt Vietnamese citizenship or leave the country. In early 1977, Vietnam implemented what it described as a purification policy in its border areas to keep Chinese border residents to the Chinese side of the border. Following another discriminatory policy introduced in March 1978, a large number of Chinese fled from Vietnam to southern China. China and Vietnam attempted to negotiate issues related to Vietnam's treatment of ethnic Chinese, but these negotiations failed to resolve

3648-460: The southern heights above Lạng Sơn and occupied Sa Pa . The PLA claimed to have crushed several of the VPA regular units. Supporting attacks were also conducted by the PLA at Quảng Ninh Province in the Battle of Mong Cai and Battle of Cao Ba Lanh but were unsuccessful. However, Bangkok analysts gave a completely different count, heavy Vietnamese resistance near Lao Cai in the west and Cao Bang in

3712-466: The strong Soviet influence in Vietnam, fearing that Vietnam could become a pseudo- protectorate of the Soviet Union. Vietnam's claim to be the world's third largest military power following its victory in the Vietnam War also increased Chinese apprehensions. In the Chinese view, Vietnam was pursuing a regional hegemonic policy in an attempt to control Indochina. In June 1978, China rescinded

3776-412: The surrendered Japanese forces to aid in retaking southern Vietnam, as there were not enough British troops immediately available. On the urging of the Soviet Union, Ho Chi Minh initially attempted to negotiate with the French, who were slowly reestablishing their control across the area, although still under British control until hostilities had ceased. Once hostilities had ended, the British handed over

3840-667: The territory to the French. In January 1946, the Viet Minh won elections across central and northern Vietnam. On 6 March 1946, Ho signed an agreement allowing French forces to replace Nationalist Chinese forces, in exchange for French recognition of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam as a "free" republic within the French Union , with the specifics of such recognition to be determined by future negotiation. British forces departed on 26 March 1946, leaving Vietnam in

3904-534: The timing of the military thrust against Vietnam, was to take advantage of the normalization to bluff the Soviets with a nonexistent US endorsement." The reason cited for the attack was to support China's ally, the Khmer Rouge of Cambodia, in addition to the mistreatment of Vietnam's ethnic Chinese minority and the Vietnamese occupation of the Spratly Islands which were claimed by China. To prevent Soviet intervention on Vietnam's behalf, Deng warned Moscow

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3968-408: The two falls are considered as two parts of one waterfall with the sole name Bản Giốc. The two parts are thác chính (Main waterfall) and thác phụ (Subordinate waterfall). Chinese texts sometimes name both of the water falls as Détiān Falls ( Chinese : 德天瀑布) on the Chinese side. The waterfall drops 30 m (98 ft). It is separated into three falls by rocks and trees, and the thundering effect of

4032-439: The varied patterns of transportation, settlement and land use from generation to generation, and the successive administrative differences throughout periods of war and strife led to both Vietnam and China understanding that exactly defining the border would increase prosperity in the long term. The commercial focus of the area directly around the falls will likely remain tourism. There are two directional aspects to transport at

4096-463: The water hitting the cliffs can be heard from afar. It is currently the 4th largest waterfall along a national border, after Iguazu Falls , Victoria Falls , and Niagara Falls . Somewhat nearby is the 1,000 m (3,300 ft) long by 200 m (660 ft) wide Tongling Gorge (Tōnglíng dàxiágǔ 通灵大峽谷 "Tongling Grand Canyon") in Baise City (百色市), Guangxi province , accessible only through

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