Atlas of Battles

battle, nineteenth century

Battle of Tonkin River

Battle of Tonkin River was a battle fought in 1849 at Hải Phong, in what is now Vietnam. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Hải Phong. It was part of sea piracy. The recorded result: British/Chinese/Tonkinese victory. Recorded strength: Land: unknown land forces; Sea: 2 sloops-of-war; 1 brig; 8 war-junks against Land: ~1,400 pirates; Sea: 64 war-junks.

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Attack on, and destruction of, part of the pirate squadron of Shap Ng-tsai, in the Gulf of Tonkin on 21 October 1849 by the Columbine, Fury, Phlegethon, and two boats of Hastings.
Attack on, and destruction of, part of the pirate squadron of Shap Ng-tsai, in the Gulf of Tonkin on 21 October 1849 by the Columbine, Fury, Phlegethon, and two boats of Hastings.. Edward H. Cree, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1849
WhereHải Phong, Vietnam20.141N, 106.226E, placed at the location, approximate
OutcomeBritish/Chinese/Tonkinese victory
BelligerentsUnited Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; Qing dynasty; Nguyen dynastyagainst23px Shap Ng-tsai's pirates
Part ofsea piracy

Where it sits in sea piracy

Battle of Doro Passage, 1827Aegean Sea Anti-Piracy Operations of the United States, 1828Battle of Tonkin River, 1849Battle of Boca Teacapan, 187018271870Battle of Tonkin River, 1849
4 placed engagements of sea piracy in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1849 (year precision)
to 1849
PlaceHải Phong, Vietnam
20.141N, 106.226E
KindBattle, nineteenth century
StrengthLand: unknown land forces; Sea: 2 sloops-of-war; 1 brig; 8 war-junksLand: ~1,400 pirates; Sea: 64 war-junks
Casualties and lossesBritish: none; 2 sloops-of-war damaged; 1 brig damaged; Chinese: unknown; Vietnamese: unknown~2,400 killed or wounded; ~300 captured; 58 junks sunk
Commanders
  • Sir John Dalrymple-Hay, 3rd Baronet
  • Shap Ng-tsai
Battle of Tonkin RiverBattle of Tonkin RiverGulf of Tonkin incidentBattle of Bach Dang RiverBattle of Bạch ĐằngSiege of SongpingSiege of Đông QuanGulf of Tonkin incidentBattle of Bach Dang RiverBattle of Bạch ĐằngSiege of SongpingNam ĐịnhThanh HóaCẩm PhảNinh BìnhBắc Giang100 km20.141N, 106.226E
Placed at Hải Phong; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1849

Battle of Tonkin River is one of 3,694 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 269 in present-day Vietnam.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q4872569, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Tonkin River, revision 1370591230, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.