In the 1930s Colonel Alfred Thomazi, the historian of the French conquest of Indochina, did his best to rebut such criticisms: If Rivière had been more prudent and withdrawn his column as soon as he had crossed the bridge, when Berthe de Villers was wounded, our losses would have been smaller and the engagement would have remained indecisive.
Pada tahun 1930-an Kolonel Alfred Thomazi, sejarawan penaklukan Indocina di Prancis, melakukan yang terbaik untuk menyanggah kritik-kritik semacam itu: Jika Rivière lebih bijaksana dan menarik barisannya segera setelah dia menyeberangi jembatan, ketika Berthe de Villers terluka, kerugian kita akan lebih kecil dan pertarungan akan tetap bimbang.