Atlas of Battles

battle, Cold War

Battle of Na San

Battle of Na San was a battle fought on 23 November 1952 at Sơn La, in what is now Vietnam; it lasted 9 days. It was part of First Indochina War, which ran from 1946 to 1954. The recorded result: French Union victory; French Union successful defense; French Union successful evacuation later. Recorded strength: 15,000; 6 artillery batteries against 3 divisions.

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Vue générale de la bataille de Na San et de l'opération Lorraine en automne 1952. Suivant plan page 339 de 'Mémoires - Fin d'un empire du général Salan et plan page 96 de Indochine 52-53 de Erwan Berg
Vue générale de la bataille de Na San et de l'opération Lorraine en automne 1952. Suivant plan page 339 de 'Mémoires - Fin d'un empire du général Salan et plan page 96 de Indochine 52-53 de Erwan Berg. BrunoLC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought23 November 1952lasted 9 days
WhereSơn La, Vietnam21.215N, 104.036E
OutcomeFrench Union victory; French Union successful defense; French Union successful evacuation later
BelligerentsFrench Union; France; State of Vietnam; T'ai FederationagainstNorth Vietnam; Việt Minh
Part ofFirst Indochina War1946 to 1954

Where it sits in First Indochina War

Battle of Hanoi, 1946Battle of Phu Tong Hoa, 1948Battle of Cao Bang, 1949Battle of Dong Khe, 1950Battle of Route Coloniale 4, 1950Battle of Vinh Yen, 1951Battle of the Day River, 1951Battle of Nghia Lo, 1951Battle of Hoa Binh, 1951Battle of Nghĩa Lộ, 1952Battle of Na San, 1952Battle of Muong Khoua, 1953Battle of Mang Yang Pass, 1954Battle of Dien Bien Phu, 195419461954Battle of Na San, 1952
14 placed engagements of First Indochina War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date23 November 1952
to 2 December 1952
PlaceSơn La, Vietnam
21.215N, 104.036E
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength15,000; 6 artillery batteries3 divisions
Casualties and losses2nd December only: 6 killed and 20 wounded; Total: 300 killed and 640 woundedWestern estimate: 1,000–1,544 killed; 1,932 captured; 6,000 wounded; John Walker claim: 5,000 killed/missing/captured and 2,000 wounded; Việt Minh’s report: ~1,400 killed/missing/captured, 2,553 wounded
Commanders
  • Jean Gilles (Soldier)
  • Phạm Văn Đổng
Battle of Na SanBattle of Na SanBattle of Nghia LoBattle of Lima Site 85Battle of Dien Bien PhuBattle of Yu OcBattle of Hòa MộcBattle of Nghia LoBattle of Lima Site 85Battle of Dien Bien PhuBattle of Yu OcViệt TrìSơn TâyHoa BinhLuan Chau100 km21.215N, 104.036E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1952

Battle of Na San is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 140 in present-day Vietnam.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2889446, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Nà Sản, revision 1381535554, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.