Editing Battle of Route Coloniale 4 (section)

==Aftermath==
Of the more than 6,000 French soldiers and civilians involved in the operation, only 700 reached French lines. Lạng Sơn, the next French base to the south, was abandoned on 17 October and on 18 October the French command evacuated posts south of Lạng Sơn on RC4. Panic spread in French-controlled Hanoi and there was talk of an evacuation. Ultimately, however, General [[Jean de Lattre de Tassigny]] replaced Carpentier as commander in chief of French Indochina in late 1950 and restored French morale.

When the Border Campaign ended, the Việt Minh controlled a large part of the Vietnam-China border. Giáp had called the previous situation, in which the French controlled the Northern border, "fighting under siege". The "siege" started in 1945 and described how the French Army had encircled the Việt Minh. After the Border Campaign was won, the [[Việt Minh]] had greater access through to their socialist allies after lifting the "siege". Fighting under siege was a phase used after the war to describe the Việt Minh's relationship with the Communist Bloc before this victory.<ref>Morris, Virginia and Hills, Clive. {{Citation|title=Ho Chi Minh's Blueprint for Revolution, In the Words of Vietnamese Strategists and Operatives}}, McFarland & Co Inc, 2018, p. 154.</ref>