East Asia 1979: Sino-Vietnamese War
![Political map of China, Japan, Korea, and Mongolia on 05 Mar 1979 (China after Mao: Sino-Vietnamese War), showing the following events: Spring Offensive; Fall of Vientiane; Death of Mao Zedong; Fall of the Gang of Four; Rise of Deng Xiaoping; Vietnamese invasion of Cambodia; Sino-Vietnamese War.](https://omniatlas-media.s3.amazonaws.com/dist/img/maps/china/china19790305.png)
Sino-Vietnamese War
5 Mar 1979 Sino-Vietnamese War
Mao Zedong's death in 1976 led to a two-year power struggle for leadership of China. Meanwhile, Soviet-allied North Vietnam annexed South Vietnam and, in late 1978, invaded Chinese-backed Cambodia. China responded in early 1979 with an attack on Vietnam. After a month of brutal but inconclusive warfare, the Chinese withdrew.