French naval bombardment of Hai Phong, Vietnam, kills thousands of civilians.

Haiphong or Hai Phong is the third-largest city in Vietnam and is the principal port city of the Red River Delta. The municipality has an area of 1,526.52 km² (589.39 sq mi), consisting of 8 urban districts, 6 rural districts and 1 municipal city (sub-city). Two of the rural districts cover islands in the South China Sea: Bạch Long Vĩ and Cát Hải. It has a population of 2,130,898 in 2023. The city's economy has strength in manufacturing, as evidenced by large industrial parks and numerous smaller traditional handicraft villages. Historically, Haiphong was the first place in Vietnam and Mainland Southeast Asia to get electricity.

Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about 331,000 square kilometres (128,000 sq mi) and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's fifteenth-most populous country. One of two communist states in Southeast Asia, Vietnam shares land borders with China to the north, and Laos and Cambodia to the west. Its capital is Hanoi and its largest city is Ho Chi Minh City.