The first resistance war against French invasion by our army and people at the Da Nang front in 1858

In the 19th century, Vietnam was in the sights of French colonialists in their plan to seize markets and expand their sphere of influence in Southeast Asia. Da Nang was considered a strategic gateway to invade Vietnam.

On September 1, 1858, the French-Spanish coalition, consisting of 16 warships equipped with the most modern weapons, all of which had great destructive power and high lethality, launched an attack on Da Nang. On the first day of firing, most of our defensive posts on the east side of the Han River were destroyed. The next morning (September 2, 1858), the enemy continued to shell Dien Hai citadel and sent troops to occupy the western area. The royal army fought and gradually retreated, establishing a defense line southwest of Hoa Vang to stop the enemy. The course of the battle showed that the enemy could not use the power of technical weapons to launch a massive attack, but was blocked right at the mouth of Da Nang. This was the result of the fierce resistance of the garrison under the command of a royal court that was still fully alive at that time, with high determination and national solidarity. In addition to the main army of the court, there was also the participation of local militia and marine forces.

Allied forces attack Da Nang in 1858

After Governor Le Dinh Ly was seriously wounded and then died, Tu Duc appointed Marshal Chu Phuc Minh to replace Le Dinh Ly as Governor of Military Affairs. After that, Tu Duc assigned Nguyen Tri Phuong, our number one military general, who was serving as Kinh Luoc Su of Nam Ky, to command the Da Nang front, replacing Chu Phuc Minh. As a talented military officer, Nguyen Tri Phuong correctly assessed the situation from the beginning and proposed a dynamic and appropriate strategy for defense and fighting the enemy. He advocated not attacking the enemy head-on to avoid the enemy's firepower, but to surround and block the enemy at the seashore, increase ambushes against the enemy, not allowing them to contact the people, implementing "empty gardens and empty houses", isolating and cutting off the supply lines, and providing food on the spot.

Until the end of 1858, the enemy still could not expand the occupied area, break our defense, and implement the strategy of quick attack and quick victory. Dien Hai Citadel after artillery bombardment on the morning of September 1, 1858. Photo courtesy

With neither advance nor retreat possible, Rigault de Genouilly, who was appointed Admiral at the time, decided to change direction to attack Gia Dinh. In early February 1859, the French army left only an occupying force of one company and several small warships commanded by Colonel Toyou in Da Nang. The balance of forces in Da Nang had now changed, creating a favorable situation for us. In addition, the harsh weather and climate here made the enemy miserable, almost deprived of their fighting strength. A French commander here confessed: "on this hot land, our soldiers collapsed, unable to hold their weapons." The reinforcements that followed were also further weakened by disease and the hot climate, plus the nervous tension caused by nightly raids on the bases of the royal army and militia.

In the end, after 18 months of occupying Da Nang (from September 1, 1858 to March 23, 1860), Page - Major General Commander of the French - Spanish coalition - was ordered by the French Government to withdraw all troops from Da Nang to support the battlefield in China. Before withdrawing, Page ordered to burn all the camps in Son Tra, An Hai, Dien Hai, Tra Uc and had to leave behind a cemetery and hundreds of invaders' graves scattered across the Son Tra peninsula. This is the only invaders' cemetery that still exists today in our country.

This can be considered the only great victory of our army and people on the Da Nang front in more than a quarter of a century of fighting against invaders from 1858 to 1884.