Battle of Vĩnh Yên

The Battle of Vĩnh Yên which occurred from 13 to 17 January 1951, was a major engagement in the First Indochina War between the French Union and the communist Việt Minh. The French Union forces, including the French Armed Forces and Vietnamese National Army, led by World War II hero Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, inflicted a decisive defeat on the Việt Minh forces, which were commanded by Võ Nguyên Giáp. This victory of the French Union against the communists marked a turn in the tide of the war, which was previously characterized by a number of Việt Minh victories.

First large-scale use of napalm by France.