In the North West General Gabriel Sabattier's Tonkin division had enough time to be spared an assault by the Japanese and were able to retreat northwest from their base in Hanoi, hoping to reach the Chinese border [REF].
The United States and China, were reluctant to start a large-scale operation to restore French authority, as they did not favour colonial rule and had little sympathy for the Vichy regime which had formerly collaborated with the Japanese.