Hòa Bình
The 13e DBLE participated in the Battle of Hòa Bình from 14 November 1951 to 24 February 1952. Hòa Bình (the name means "peace" in Vietnamese) was the capital of the Muong ethnic minority. By road, Hòa Bình lay a mere 67 kilometers of map distance from Hanoi via Colonial Route 6 (Fr: "Route Coloniale 6"). The Việt Minh had controlled Hòa Bình since October 1950 and used the district as a logistics staging area for operations in north central Vietnam. The French commander in Indochina, General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny, ordered the retaking of Hòa Bình in late 1951.