Atlas of Battles

battle, Cold War

Battle of Nghia Lo

Battle of Nghia Lo was a battle fought on 3 October 1951 at Tonkin, in what is now Vietnam; it lasted 7 days. It was part of First Indochina War, which ran from 1946 to 1954. The recorded result: French Union victory. Recorded strength: 8,479 against Three French airbone battalions; One artillery battalion; One Tai battalion (1e RTA); Total: ~2,500.

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Fought3 October 1951lasted 7 days
WhereTonkin, Vietnam21.604N, 104.504E
OutcomeFrench Union victory
BelligerentsNorth Vietnam; Việt MinhagainstFrench Union; France; State of Vietnam; T'ai Federation
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 Nghia Lo, 1951
14 placed engagements of First Indochina War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date3 October 1951
to 10 October 1951
PlaceTonkin, Vietnam
21.604N, 104.504E
KindBattle, Cold War
Strength8,479Three French airbone battalions; One artillery battalion; One Tai battalion (1e RTA); Total: ~2,500
Casualties and lossesWestern estimate: 1,000–4,000 killed; Việt Minh's report: 287 killed, 702 wounded, 22 missing36 French killed; Unknown Tai's killed or wounded; 255 captured
Commanders
  • Rémy Raffalli
Battle of Nghia LoBattle of Nghia LoBattle of Na SanBattle of Yu OcBattle of Hòa MộcSiege of Tuyên QuangOperation Ivory CoastBattle of Na SanBattle of Yu OcBattle of Hòa MộcOperation Ivory CoastViệt TrìHoa BinhLao ChiXam NuaBắc KạnSơn LaLuan Chau100 km21.604N, 104.504E
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 1951

Battle of Nghia Lo 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 Q4871890, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Nghĩa Lộ (1951), revision 1380909746, 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.