Battle of Hanoi

Battle context

The Battle of Hanoi on December 19, 1946, marked the opening of the First Indochina War. Viet Minh soldiers initiated hostilities by detonating explosives in Hanoi, setting in motion a conflict between the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and French Union forces that would last until 1954. The engagement committed both sides to armed struggle, ending the contested political period that had followed the re-entry of French forces into northern Vietnam and establishing that the Viet Minh under commanders including Vương Thừa Vũ and Trần Độ would contest French control through direct military confrontation.