Rivière was unwell, and the column was under the direct command of chef de bataillon Berthe de Villers, an excellent professional soldier who had won a spectacular victory against the Vietnamese only seven weeks earlier at the Battle of Gia Cuc.
Rivière tidak sehat, dan barisan itu berada di bawah komando langsung chef de bataillon Berthe de Villers, seorang prajurit profesional hebat yang menang spektakuler melawan Vietnam. hanya tujuh minggu sebelumnya di Pertempuran Gia Cuc.