Lang Son
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (November 2007) |
Coordinates: 21°50′52″N 106°45′28″E / 21.84778°N 106.75778°E
| Lang Son Thành phố Lạng Sơn |
|
|---|---|
 Lang Son
|
|
| Coordinates: 21°50′52″N 106°45′28″E / 21.84778°N 106.75778°E | |
| Country |  Vietnam |
| Province | Lang Son Province |
| Area | |
| • Total | 79 km2 (31 sq mi) |
| Population (2007) | |
| • Total | 148,000 |
Lạng Sơn (
listen), sometimes Langson, is a city in far northern Vietnam, is the capital of Lạng Sơn province. It is accessible by road and rail from Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, and it is the northernmost point on National Road 1A.
[edit] History
Due to its geography as Vietnam's gateway to China, Lạng Sơn and its ancient citadel have been in the path of many invasions, and were the site of three French defeats during the colonial era. Occupied by Qing forces during the military buildup that preceded the Sino-French War, the city was occupied by France after a two-week campaign in February 1885. However, the brigade there conducted a hasty retreat after a failed attack through Bang Bo into China; the "retreat from Lạng Sơn" became the most controversial aspect of the war and led to the fall of Jules Ferry's ministry. French colonial forces clashed with the Japanese 5th Division in the Battle of Lạng Sơn during the Japanese Vietnam Expedition in 22 September 1940. The French were again compelled to retreat hastily.[citation needed]
After the end of the Pacific War, the French colonial army established a permanent garrison there, which served as the logistics hub for the French border fortresses. It was captured in 1950 during Võ Nguyên Giáp's offensive against the French border forts, considered a turning point in the Indochina War. The city was the center of fighting during the Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979, and sustained extensive damage.[citation needed]
