IT DIDN’T WORK OUT THAT WAY. GIAP GRASPED RIGHT AWAY THAT he must deny the French the quick victory they sought. But he also understood that he had to avoid open and large-scale engagements if at all possible; his forces were simply too weak. He in effect ceded the major towns and lines of communication in Tonkin and Annam as he withdrew the bulk of his army to the Viet Bac.
