Haiphong was the scene of the first major clash. The port city was key to French hopes in the north, as its harbor serviced the needs of the Red River Delta—and, d’Argenlieu suspected, brought crucial contraband (weapons, motor oil, gasoline) from China to Giap’s forces, in exchange for rice. In Paul Mus’s apt phrase, Haiphong was “the lungs of Tonkin.”
