Many have heard of the French-Indochina War; which culminated in a French defeat, and the end of French colonial power in Vietnam in 1954.  Many more are probably familiar with the Vietnam War, especially in the United States.  This war involved North Vietnam and America and ended in 1975 with a North Vietnamese victory; and the unification of the nation under Communist control.  What many in America and elsewhere do not know is that there was another "Vietnam War" later in the 20th Century:  The Sino-Vietnamese War of 1979!

The conflict was a result of a split between Communist allies China and the Soviet Union.  China backed Cambodia, while the Soviets supported Vietnam.   When Vietnam went to war with Cambodia, China invaded northern Vietnam on February 17, 1979.  After tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, and with Chinese forces facing the same determined resistance that American soldiers had faced earlier, the Chinese withdrew less than a month later.  Click the image below to watch a documentary on the war: