It gets called a "border clash" when it fails as an invasion I guess...
But I see that the Vietnamese refer to it as "war" though, but who are they to decide? It only involved a opposing force that commanded more divisions than the United States Army has on paper.
Regardless, the point stands that China has indeed attacked another foreign power, and Vietnam is good example no matter what you call it or why it happened (supporting Pol Pot of all things).
The deep rooted distrust between Vietnamese and China didn't begin in 1979 either. For over a thousand years much of Vietnam was controlled by the Chinese. The sentiment of distrust and dislike continues to this very day, and once you throw in ahem, border clashes and battles for the Spratly's, it won't be going away anytime soon.
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