Edited sentence: " Some Bangkok analysts pointed that Vietnam was at least successful in keeping their losses low by avoiding battles between its main-force units stationed near Hanoi with the Chinese forces."The Vietnamese know that; the Russians know that."They beat the hell out of the Vietnamese," stated one analyst in describing the battle around Lạng Sơn.After China's withdrawal, analysts described the battle as an important Chinese victory in capturing the Vietnamese capital of Lạng Sơn.That is all the Chinese are interested in.Western analysts had stated that a Vietnamese decision to attack the Chinese troops as they withdrew, could lead to retaliation and cause the war to continue