Overall it was a shitshow. Vietnam also ethnically cleansed its chinese minority and there was fighting at t he border because it was pretty much indefined. Furthermore, Vietnam ahd close ties to the USSR, with which China had recently broken. Thus China saw itself between the allied stated of Vietnam and USSR.
Fittingly the resulting border war also was a total shitshow. A few PLA divisions pushing into Vietnam, without artillery or air support. Vietnam defended with local militias as its army was in Cambodia. China occupied some border cities, but took severe losses, then it went home. The vietnamese militias were excellent fighters but lacked heavy arms, so all they could do is delay the chinese (which they did admirably). Both sides claimed victory and the relations between the two countries were in the gutter until a few years ago.
Overall it was a shitshow. Vietnam also ethnically cleansed its chinese minority and there was fighting at t he border because it was pretty much indefined. Furthermore, Vietnam ahd close ties to the USSR, with which China had recently broken. Thus China saw itself between the allied stated of Vietnam and USSR.
Fittingly the resulting border war also was a total shitshow. A few PLA divisions pushing into Vietnam, without artillery or air support. Vietnam defended with local militias as its army was in Cambodia. China occupied some border cities, but took severe losses, then it went home. The vietnamese militias were excellent fighters but lacked heavy arms, so all they could do is delay the chinese (which they did admirably). Both sides claimed victory and the relations between the two countries were in the gutter until a few years ago.