Hoa Binh operation (10/12/1951 - 25/2/1952) in the anti-French resistance war

Abstract

After Bien Gioi victory (1950), the anti-French resistance turned to a new phase. Continuing the triumph momentum, Vietnamese people and troops opened new operations in the northern midland and lowland but were unable to achieve the initiative goals. During the Winter and Spring (1951-1952), the General Headquarter planned to open a new operation in the plain of Zone 3. While Vietnamese troops were preparing for the campaigns, French soldiers captured Hoa Binh (11/1951). In response, the Party Central Committee, led by President Ho Chi Minh, decided to adjust the new plan for the 1951-1952 Winter and Spring campaigns by launching Hoa Binh operation. This was a strategically brilliant decision that led to military victory. Hoa Binh triumph has significant meanings in various aspects, indicating new development of Vietnamese military art, particularly the ability to operate a sizeable military campaign that later led to the final victory of the war against France.